health&nutrition HIGHLIGHTS ON HEALTHY LIVING Know the Facts Today’s consumers are more educated about their food than ever before. They want to know where their food comes from, and how it’s going to affect their bodies. But in this information age, it can be hard for consumers to discern the facts from myths. Help your customers sort through the noise with some of these tips from KNACK Online (Knowledge of Nutrition and Activities for Communities in Kansas), a community website dedicated to education on childhood obesity for families and those who work with Kansas youth. For more tips, visit www.knackonline.org. size portion of the full-fat product. But many processed low-fat or fat-free foods have just as many calories as the full-fat version of the same food. Myth: Skipping meals is a good way to lose weight. Fact: One popular approach used to lose weight is skipping a meal — usually breakfast. Studies show that people who skip breakfast and eat fewer times during the day tend to Myth: Natural or herbal weight-loss products are safe and effective. Fact: “Natural” or “Herbal” does not always mean safe, especially in health related products. These products are not usually scientifically tested to prove their safety and efficacy. So far there are no FDA regulations on these products to control their claims and commercialization. One example of an unsafe “Natural” weight loss product is ephedra, which has been known to cause serious health problems and even death. Myth: Low-fat or fat-free means no calories. You can eat more foods if they are low fat or fat free. Fact: “Low fat” or “fat free” does not mean calorie free. A low-fat or fat-free food can be lower in calories than the same Myth: Eating after 8 p.m. causes weight gain. Fact: It does not matter what time of day you eat. It is what and how much you eat and how much physical activity you do during the whole day that determines whether you gain, lose or maintain your weight. No matter when you eat, your body will store extra calories as fat. Source: www.knackonline.org be heavier than people who eat a healthy breakfast and eat four or five times a day. This is partly due to the fact that when skipping a meal, you feel hungrier and tend to overeat at the next meal and pay less attention to your satiety cues. A better approach is to eat smaller frequent healthy meals and snacks to keep blood sugar balanced. | 40 | inStorebuyer | August 2012 |http://www.knackonline.org http://www.knackonline.org