From eating eggs to drinking green tea and wine: Here are Popular myths and healthy tidbits

If you have sworn off some of your favourite foods for fear that they are harming your health, take heart! Studies show that some of the foods we thought were unhealthy can actually be good for you.

• Eggs don’t let cholesterol go up:

Studies indicate that fat in eggs is mostly polyunsaturated and monounsaturated and the yolk is an excellent source of the antioxidant lutein, which can lower certain inflammatory responses in the body. Eggs easily fit into a healthy lifestyle, so enjoy an omelet for breakfast and see how satisfied you are the rest of the day.

• Skip juice, eat fruits:

Research shows juice is pretty much the same as sugar water, minus the fiber that helps stabilise your blood sugar when eating a fruit. Skip the juice and eat a few pieces of fruit per day to improve your health.

• Green tea helps lose fat:

Green tea is more than just hot, flavoured water. A cup of green tea may contain much less caffeine (24- 40mg) than a cup of coffee. Caffeine is a well-known stimulant, has been known to aid fat burning and improve exercise performance. It contains massive range of antioxidants called catechins, which can boost metabolism and may help in burning fat.

• Drinking red wine is good:

Red wine contains high level of a phytochemical called resreratrol, which acts as an antioxidant and reduces inflammation, may slow ageing process. Alcohol in wine raises HDL (‘good’) cholesterol and seems to make blood less likely to clot. No more than a drink for women or two drinks for men may offer some benefits and probably can’t hurt.

• You can have milk after eating fish:

We are told that drinking milk after eating fish may cause a skin disorder. But fish with milk has no scientifically or medically established connection to leucoderma or vitiligo. This notion has been explored and the question was scientifically laid to rest years ago.

 The writer is Consultant Nutritionist for weight loss, The Westside Clinic.