True or False? You may be surprised at answers...........

by Ching M. Alano

At the First World Congress of Public Health Nutrition held last year, according to Food Facts Asia, the experts asked some very absorbing — and disturbing — questions, such as: Do consumers know how much they should eat? Do they read the nutrition information on food labels, do they understand what it means, and does it come in handy when they choose the food they buy?

It takes more than a dash of food savvy to know what lies beneath those food labels. Yes, as a conscientious consumer, it pays to know how to read between the lines. For instance, Eliza Zied, a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association, warns that food manufacturers are allowed to show that a product contains zero gram of something even if it actually has the dreaded trans fats.

Would you like to know how much of a health-conscious consumer you are? Answer these interactive CBS News questions (no cheating, please!) and then read the answers given below by Nathaniel Hupert, an assistant professor of public health and medicine at Weill Medical College of Cornell University; Dr. Dean Edell, author of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Healthiness; and Dr. Mallika Marshall.

1. True or false: Eating red meat raises cholesterol levels.

2. True or false: Eating eggs is bad for your heart.

3. True or false: Red wine protects against heart disease.

4. Which food is most likely to promote cavities in children: cheese, raisins, apples, chocolates, peanuts?

5. True or false: Chocolate can elevate your mood.

6. True or false: Cranberry juice treats urinary tract infection.

7. True or false: Whole milk is more nutritious than skim milk.

8. True or false: You must take a daily multivitamin to stay healthy.

9. Which is more nutritious — fresh or canned tomatoes?

10. True or false: Naps are good for you.

Answers:

1. False. Studies show that people fed a diet of lean red meat had no significant rise in cholesterol than those whose diet consisted of lean white meat.

2. False. There’s no conclusive data linking eggs to highter cholesterol, but some people are sensitive to eggs and will show higher cholesterol levels. If you go on a high-egg diet, have your cholesterol checked to make sure you are not one of these people.

3. True. There’s tremendous evidence that red wine — and every other kind of wine — prevents heart disease when taken in moderation.

4. Raisins. They’re the culprits because their stickiness means they are more likely to stay on teeth and feed the bacteria.

5. True. Especially dark chocolate, which is chockful of catechins, antioxidants that enhance the endorphin or that feel-good chemical in the brain.

6. False. There’s no scientific evidence to show if cranberry is really berry-good for UTI. But a 1998 study found that cranberries have proanthocyanidin, which protects against E. coli bacteria so that the latter does not latch onto the cells lining the urinary tract, thus reducing your chances of having UTI. A British Medical Journal study also found that women who drank this juice every day for six months had a lower risk of contracting urinary tract infection.

7. False. It’s assumed that when milk goes through a skimming process, calcium is removed. But the calcium is found in the watery part of milk, that part that’s not skimmed. However, the skimming process does remove some of the vitamins A and D.

8. False. According to the US Preventive Services Taskforce, there’s insufficient evidence to recommend daily multivitamin pills. But if a person is not taking a balanced diet, taking a vitamin supplement daily is prescribed.

9. Canned tomatoes. Canned tomatoes have more fiber, potassium, vitamins A and C, calcium, and iron because they are riper when picked as compared to fresh tomatoes, which have to be firm to be shipped.

10. True. Naps have been shown to improve alertness and cognitive performance in people who don’t get enough sleep at night. Even a 10-minute nap has been shown scientifically to be helpful.

So, how did you fare (or fail?). If you got seven correct answers, congratulations! — you must have gone to medical school or you’re good enough to write a health/diet book.

If you scored four to six right answers, you should live to a ripe old age — riper than a juicy/pulpy red tomato.

If you got one to three correct answers, that explains why you are sick so often.

If you scored a yawning zero, you better watch out and keep your doctor’s number on speed dial on your cell phone.

Oh, dear, it’s time for our nap!


A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition