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The Ultimate Food Quiz :
Sep 12, 2007
Eating healthy is about being an informed consumer. So with the bushels of misinformation out there about the foods you eat, eDiets decided to put together a Food Fun Facts Quiz to test your nutrition knowledge. These true-or-false questions may shed a little light on some of the more misunderstood and mysterious foods, as well as their effect on your diet. TRUE OR FALSE All fats are bad, and following a low-fat diet is the best way to lose weight. False: Fat is necessary for energy, especially for active and growing kids, for hormone function, vitamin absorption and transport. Fats add flavor to your food, but fat contains more than twice the calories -- per gram -- than protein and carbohydrates. Fat is more concentrated in calories, so to lose weight on a calorie-controlled diet -- you need to eat less fat. Nutritionist, Susan Burke, suggests you choose your fats wisely: “nuts, avocado, seeds and fatty fish contain immune-promoting monounsaturated fat and omega-3 fatty acids.”The only good thing about fiber is that it gets you regular in the restroom. False: While that is one benefit, fiber also helps to lower the risk for heart disease and cancer. Also, a diet high in fiber translates into increases in the intake of fruits, vegetables and whole-grain foods. Fiber helps fill you up, without adding calories. Foods high in fiber are generally lower in calories, fresh and can help you maintain your weight loss, according to Susan. Fresh vegetables are better than frozen. False: In fact, frozen vegetables can be healthier than fresh depending on how long the fresh vegetables have been sitting in the market. Frozen vegetables are processed at their peak nutritional value, whereas it could take days, even weeks, for fresh vegetables to be transported. It could be even longer before you cook them. Health experts recommend you eat at least five servings of fruit and vegetables daily -- fresh or frozen. Tomato sauce is a better cancer fighter than raw tomatoes. True: When tomatoes are heated -- like in sauce or the processing of ketchup -- the benefits of lycopene are enhanced because it's more easily absorbed by the body than when in raw tomatoes. Studies show that the body uses lycopene for protection against breast cancer, prostate cancer and heart disease. The benefits of grapes come from a valuable nutrient called grapetine, which is necessary to keep the squishy substance in your eyeballs replenished. False: Grapes are full of beneficial nutrients and antioxidants; however, grapetine is not one of them. In fact, it’s not real at all. A study from the Journal of Nutrition shows that eating fresh grapes may prevent the accumulation of harmful oxidized cholesterol and those naturally occurring antioxidants in fresh grapes, known as polyphenols, are believed to be responsible for this positive effect.
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