Common Misconceptions on Food & 'Healthy Eating'

Paradoxically, the wide interest in nutrition in today's society has seen the spread of a plethora of misconceptions about food and nutrients. For your own interest, here is a quick quiz to see how your own understanding of nutrition stands up against some of the more common fallacies (see answers on next page).

Nutrition Quiz - Fact or Fallacy?

1. Carbohydrates are not fattening

True
False

2. Too much salt is fattening

True
False

3. An apple has about the same kilojoules as a slice of bread.

True
False

4. Cows milk is really only needed by children, not adults.

True
False

5. Low carbohydrate diets can produce better weight loss than a normal weight reduction diet with the same kilojoules.

True
False

6. Spinach is a good source of iron.

True
False

7. Extra B-group vitamins give you energy.

True
False

8. One tablespoon of margarine has fewer kilojoules than one tablespoon of butter.

True
False

9. Eating large amounts of protein will not increase muscular power.

True
False

10. Raw sugar, like white sugar, has little nutritional value.

True
False

11. Grapefruit has special slimming properties.

True
False

12. Mental concentration does not increase the need for protein.

True
False

13. Kelp, because it contains iodine, can aid weight reduction.

True
False

14. Liquid protein diets are 'slimming' only by virtue of their low kilojoule content.

True
False

15. The present Australian diet generally lacks sufficient lecithin.

True
False

16. Gelatine is a good source of protein, especially for increasing the hardness of fingernails.

True
False

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