Myth Busters

Dietitian: There is no scientific evidence suggesting that temperature of food and drinks causes cough, or affects recovery. In fact, it is more important to focus on getting adequate rest, taking symptomatic medications as prescribed by your doctor, hydrating well and having a well-balanced diet. That said, some individuals are indeed more sensitive towards consuming food and fluid at colder temperature, thus it is prudent to avoid any triggers that may worsen symptoms. The same applies to oranges or chocolates – avoid only if they are irritating you.

When you're under the weather, loss of appetite may affect your nutritional intake, hence opt for a nourishing diet such as milk, soya milk, or high protein snacks (eg: cheese, yoghurt, tau huay) throughout the day. These can help prevent weight loss, and allow your immune system to continue fighting the infection.

Dietitian: The soothing or numbing effect from mints comes from Menthol, a substance naturally found in peppermint. It offers some symptom relief and improves breathing for some individuals. However, keep in mind that it is not a substitute for prescription medicine, adequate rest and good nutrition!

If your cough is affecting your ability to eat, consider having nourishing fluids and or easy to eat high protein snacks.

Dietitian: Unfortunately, your friend has been misled by one of the many myths surrounding cancer and artificial sweeteners! Artificial sweeteners are safe to consume, and there is currently no evidence of artificial sweeteners intake having suggested correlation with cancer of any type. To put this myth to bed, let's learn a little more about how they work:

Artificial sweeteners are chemical or naturally occurring substances that are used to replace sugar in food. Like sugar (which includes brown sugar, raw sugar, coconut sugar, orange sugar, and honey), these sugar substitutes are recognised as sweet tasting by our taste buds. However, compared to sugar, artificial sweeteners cannot be absorbed by the body and are therefore passed out undigested, with no effect on blood sugar.

As such, artificial sweeteners, when consumed in moderation, are good alternatives to sweeten food and drinks, and safe to include in cooking and baking.

Dietitian: Brown rice (and other types of wholegrain rice) is indeed a healthier alternative compared to white rice, but not because of its carbohydrate content! In fact, both white and brown rice contain similar amount of carbohydrates per serving. The difference is, brown rice has its bran intact, which contributes to the nutrients white rice is lacking, especially fibre and Vitamin B. The high-fibre content slows down the digestion of carbohydrate, resulting in a gradual release of sugar into the bloodstream, and increases the feeling of fullness, which can help with portion control.

Given that wholegrain rice have a tougher texture and may be challenging to fully incorporate into your diet, you can consider mixing it with white rice. Ensure to read the cooking instructions on the packet carefully, as wholegrains usually requires more water and takes a longer time to cook.

The benefits of eating wholegrains does not just apply to rice but also wholegrain cereals, breads, and biscuits to maximize the benefits of a high fibre diet!

Dietitian: While there is no such thing as an oil that is lower in calories, the term "light" refers to its colour and not its calorie content. Light olive oil is produced using a combination of refined oil and virgin olive oil, giving it a lighter colour and flavour compared to extra virgin olive oil (which is made from the first press of ripe olives).

When choosing vegetable oil, avoid coconut and palm oil which are high in saturated fat. High saturated fat intakes can increase your risk of cardiovascular disease, and as such should be minimized where possible. Instead, choose unsaturated vegetable oils such as olive oil, soybean oil, corn oil, and peanut oil, to name a few. Don't forget that oil, whether saturated or unsaturated, is calorie dense, therefore use in moderation.

Dietitian: Intermittent fasting is an alternative diet that is becoming increasingly popular. It involves a period of intentional restriction of caloric intake (''fasting''), interspersed with periods of unrestricted eating, with the cycle repeated within a day or over a few days during a week.

Regardless of the approach, successful weight loss can only be achieved through creating a calorie deficit, which helps to burn fat. To achieve this, both a healthy balanced diet and regular physical activity are required.

Research to date has not shown intermittent fasting to be superior in weight loss effectiveness when compared to creating a caloric deficit through portion control and choosing healthy foods frequently. Furthermore, sustainability is crucial to successful long term weight loss. The frequent periods of fasting may make the intermittent fasting approach challenging to fit into an individual's lifestyle and hence more difficult to sustain.

If you want to consider intermittent fasting, you should first think evaluate if such a dietary approach is something you can sustain long term. Also examine your medical condition(s) if any, and seek professional advice if you are unsure.