Dr Nick Fuller busts five health myths

Dr Nick Fuller
Leading Obesity Expert at the University of Sydney and founder of Interval Weight Loss.

1. Carbs are making us fat

Since the Atkins diet came to our collective attention, carbohydrates have been continually - and unfairly - maligned.

Sure, white refined carbohydrates provide very little to no nutrition, but the wholegrain variety are packed full of nutrition, are low in energy, and are helpful when it comes to weight loss. Carbs bind water, so it's not a real weight change you are seeing on the scales when you ditch the bread, but a drop in body water content. Carbohydrates have the same energy content as protein foods. They aren't the enemy!

2. Nuts are fattening

There is no research to show that daily consumption of nuts make you fat. Nuts should be included as part of your daily eating plan, because eating a handful of almonds will help you avoid that chocolate hit at 4pm. 

Fun fact: you don’t actually absorb all of the energy from nuts and the amount of energy you burn at rest increases after you eat them.

3. Coconut oil is good for us

Despite what clever marketing has led us to believe, coconut oil is greater than 80% saturated fat - national nutrition guidelines from around the globe tell us to avoid this stuff. Research has told us that when we replace saturated fats with unsaturated fats, we reduce our risk of heart disease by 30%. Ditch the coconut, and use olive oil instead.

4. We should avoid certain vegetables 

There are no vegetables we need to avoid and we can and should include all of them. Starchy vegetables like potatoes don’t make you fat unless you are cutting them up and deep-frying them all the time. Include a colourful mixture and enjoy those you like.

5. Dairy causes weight gain

Dairy doesn’t make you fat. In fact, studies have proven that people who include more dairy in their daily eating plan have lower body weights than those who avoid it. Stick to skim milk and yoghurt as it has the same nutrition as the full fat variety with nearly half the calories.