Health Quiz – True or False
I’ve been writing these articles for almost 4 years. It’s now time to see how much you’ve been paying attention. How do you score on the below True or False quiz:
1. To lose a pound of fat you need to eat 3,500 fewer calories than your body needs= True | False
2. Saturated fat is bad for you = True | False
3. Diet soda is healthier than ‘regular’ soda = True | False
4. Not enough sleep can make you fat = True | False
5. Losing weight on the scales is a good sign of fat loss= True | False
6. It is best to eat 5 meals per day = True | False
7. Eating fat makes you fat = True | False
8. Whole or low GI grains should be the main source of energy = True | False
Answers:
1. False–The fact is there is almost a century’s worth of crushing evidence that the calorie theory doesn’t work. But our society holds onto it for dear life. The mantra of “do more, eat less” for weight loss seems to be only making society fatter
2. False – DrMercola states the belief that saturated fats are bad for you and will increase your risk of heart disease and heart attacks is “a misguided fallacy. This is simply another myth that has been harming your health for the last 30 or 40 years”. Saturated fats, from good sources, are essential for your health and have been proven to be beneficial for your cardiovascular health, bone strength, liver health, lung function, brain function, proper nerve signalling, and immune strength
3. False – there are no healthy elements to either. Diet soda may have less calories but it contains more chemicals that do more harm to your health and body than sugar.
4. True – Sleep deprivation seriously obstructs fat loss and muscle building. Lack of sleep lowers androgen levels and growth hormone levels, thus depriving you of some serious fat burning and muscle growing chemicals and mechanisms. There is a huge link between being overweight/obese and lack of sleep.
5. False– scales only show your total weight… not what kind of tissue you are losing. If people restrict calories they will lose muscle. Likewise, if someone is exercising correctly they will build muscle, which could cancel out the amount of fat loss, as shown on a scale. Scales lie to us! Or at least don’t give us the complete picture. It’s better to take photos, measure girths and try on old clothes as well as measure fat percentage
6. False – The best approach is to eat when you’re hungry, not when the clock says it’s time to eat. Everyone’s metabolism is different and there is no golden rule to stick to. If you are not active then eating 5 meals per day is a mistake, as it will elevate insulin levels that can cause a fat storing state instead of a fat burning state.
7. False – eating sugar makes you fat! Fat is an essential part of your diet and contains essential vitamins and nutrients our body’s require to maintain health. Furthermore, certain good fats actually turn off the fat storing genes and turn on the fat burning ones
8. False – Whole grain and Low GI starches are mainly empty calories. This means they provide sugar and limited nutrients – ok, these sugars are digested slower but sugar is sugar and if there has not been an energy deficient insulin will convert the sugar to fat. The main source of energy should come from fibrous carbohydrates = vegetables