Mythbusters: Health and nutrition

All fats are bad

• True

• False

Answer explanation

There are healthy fats and unhealthy fats. Healthy fats can help reduce high cholesterol levels in your blood and lower your risk of heart disease and stroke. These fats are important for energy, hormone production, cell function and absorption of nutrients.

You can eat five meals a day and still lose weight.

• True

• False

Answer explanation

Having mini-meals throughout the day instead of fewer, larger ones speed up your metabolism. Additionally, people who skip breakfast and eat fewer times during the day tend to be heavier than people who eat a healthy breakfast and eat four or five times a day. This is because skipping a meal makes you feel hungrier and pushes you to overeat at the next meal.

Fresh fruits and vegetables are healthier than frozen or canned types

• True

• False

Answer explanation

Studies show frozen or canned fruits and vegetables can be just as nutritious as fresh produce. They also cost less. The only things to watch for are added ingredients, such as sugars, saturated fats and sodium.

Eggs are bad for your health

• True

• False

Answer explanation

Eggs are loaded with vitamins, minerals, high-quality protein, good fats and various other lesser-known nutrients. It is recommended to have one to two eggs per day as part of a healthy diet.

Your toothbrush can make you sick

• True

• False

Answer explanation

According to researchers, there can be as many as 1,2 million bacteria on a single toothbrush. The problem lies in how and where we store our toothbrushes. Bathrooms are the perfect place for bacteria to grow — they are moist and steamy.

An apple a day keeps the doctor away

• True

• False

Answer explanation

Apples are a good source of fiber, they are helpful for keeping up your health, and can help in weight control. However, they will not keep the doctor away and should not stop you from visiting the doctor on a regular basis.

You cannot sweat toxins out of your body

• True

• False

Answer explanation

Sweat is 99% water combined with a small amount of salt, proteins, carbohydrates and urea, therefore it is not made up of toxins. Toxins are eliminated by your liver, intestines or kidneys.