You probably have heard through your social networks that drinking lemon water could help with losing weight. This fad claims drinking lemon water, especially in the morning, will help cleanse and detox the body, which leads to weight loss.

Before you start rushing off to stock up on lemons and loading lemon slices into your water, here are some facts for you:

Like regular water, lemon water provides hydration to our body and quenches our thirst. The added lemon merely gives a boost in vitamin C in the drink.

Having said that, lemon water may play a role in weight loss if you regularly drink sweet beverages such as pop, sodas and fruit juice. Replacing these drinks with lemon water is a healthier alternative. Assuming you make no other changes to your dietary patterns, you may notice weight loss over time, simply because you are consuming fewer calories, as lemon water has minimal calories compared to sweet beverages.

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Myth #2 – all sugars are bad for you

You may have also heard or read that one of the ways to keep the extra pounds away is to avoid sugar, including sugar in fruits, some vegetables and dairy products.

Before you eliminate these foods from your diet, you need to know that the sugar that is naturally found in vegetables, fruits and unsweetened dairy products, such as plain milk, plain yogurt and kefir, are different from the refined sugars found in processed foods.

While sugars in vegetables and fruits are still sugars, the presence of dietary fibre in these foods helps slow down the absorption of the natural sugars present. Moreover, vegetables and fruits are excellent sources for vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients, which are essential for various bodily functions.

The same also goes for unsweetened dairy products. While sugar is naturally present in these products, they also offer calcium, phosphorus, vitamin D and other nutrients which are important for growth and development.

According to the World Health Organisation, there is no evidence to suggest that eating vegetables, fruits and unsweetened dairy products leads to adverse effects.

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Myth #3 – Natural sweeteners are not sugars

Limiting processed foods is one method to reduce added sugars consumed in the diet, but there is more to this.

Some people argue that avoiding table (white) sugar and swapping it for brown sugar and other types of sweeteners such as honey, maple syrup and agave syrup is healthier because they are natural forms of sweeteners.

The truth is, sugar that is naturally present in honey, maple syrup and agave syrup, for instance, along with fruit juices and fruit juice concentrates, unfortunately, are also types of added sugars.

Our body does not recognise the difference between the sugars found in these sweeteners and the naturally present sugar found in wholesome foods like vegetables, fruits and unsweetened dairy products.

At the end of the day, they are all broken down into glucose in the body.

Additionally, any words that end with “-ose”, such as sucrose, fructose, dextrose as well as syrup, honey, molasses and nectar, are forms of added sugars.

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Myth #4 – avoid all carbs to lose weight

To lose weight, many people have attempted to restrict or completely avoid carbs in their diet. Certainly, one may notice weight loss when one avoids carbs, but that is because doing so also involves paying closer attention to what one eats. When you avoid one or more food groups in your diet, you are also most likely eating less.

The reality is, the craving for carbs comes to haunt many dieters. Once they revert to their old eating habits, they could regain the lost weight, and possibly more, which could lead to yo-yo dieting.

Many people fail to realise carbohydrates are one of the most essential nutrients for the body. They are the main fuel source for the body cells, especially the brain.

When managing a healthy body weight, the quantity of food consumed is important. And to keep portions in check, the rule of thumb is to follow the “plate method”, where you fill half your plate with vegetables and fruits, one-fourth of the plate with a lean protein and the remaining quarter with whole grains.

Instead of choosing white rice, white pasta and noodles, choose whole grains such as brown rice, quinoa, buckwheat, barley and oats more often. Whole grains are not only rich in B vitamins, but are also excellent sources of dietary fibre, which promote satiety and help slow down the absorption of the glucose into our system.

If you love starchy vegetables such as potatoes, try sweet potatoes for a change, which are an excellent source of dietary fibre and carotenoids, a phytonutrient that contributes to the production of vitamin A, which keeps the eyes, the skin and the immune system healthy.

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Myth #5 – all fats are bad for you

The verdict is trans fats, such as those found in hard margarine and baked goods, are bad for the heart. But what about other types of fats? Are they just as bad?

Before you freak out about fat, bear in mind fat is an essential nutrient which our body requires for insulation, and is a key player in absorbing the fat-soluble vitamins (vitamins A, D, E and K).

As a food ingredient, fat makes food more palatable by giving flavour and body. It also promotes satiety.

As mentioned earlier, the quantity and the quality of food choices made are equally vital. That is to say, eating an adequate amount of fat and choosing healthy fats in the diet are key to good health.

For optimal fat intake, Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends getting 25 per cent to 35 per cent of calories from fat, with no more than 10 per cent of calories from saturated fat, and encourages these to be replaced with healthy fats like monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats.

Saturated fats, such as those found in poultry skin, white marbling in meats, butter, coconut and palm oil, are associated with high blood cholesterol and increase the risk of a heart attack.

On the other hand, strong evidence suggests that a diet consisting of healthy fats such as monounsaturated, which are found in olive oil, avocados and some nuts like almonds, pistachios and hazelnuts; and polyunsaturated fats, such as omega-3 fats found in cold-water fish (salmon, mackerel, herring and sardines), walnuts, pecans and flax seeds, are linked to reduced risk of heart disease.

Simply put, choosing leaner protein sources such as fish, plant-based proteins such as nuts and seeds, fat-rich fruits such as avocados, and some plant-based oils are healthier fat choices for a healthy eating pattern.

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