1. "You can munch diet snacks or sodas sans any guilt": The so-called packaged diet namkeens or snacks that are baked or roasted and not fried are not always healthy. "The ingredients used to make these snacks are no different from ordinary snacks. They are high in sodium, sugar, and unhealthy flour,” says health expert Prachi Agarwal. Similarly most diet sodas or colas are high in sugar.

So please do check the ingredients and nutrition labels before getting blown away by marketing gimmicks in the name of diet snacks or sodas!

2. "Artificial sweeteners are completely safe": For e.g. Halwa made with artificial sweetener isn't a good idea. In fact, excess use of sweeteners can lead to bladder cancer. “They can also trigger allergic reactions among those who cannot tolerate sulfa drugs. Reactions include breathing difficulties, skin eruptions, and diarrhoea,” says dietician Dr Simran Saini.

Another fact no one can dispute is that some controversial sweeteners are made from chemicals, some of which are known to be not only harmful, but truly toxic. Whether artificial sweeteners are dangerous for you may come down to how well-defended your own body is against the chemicals they contain. Switching out artificial sweeteners for all-natural, low-sugar substitutes is a smart option; you just might feel better.

3. "Honey can help to lose weight": Drinking warm water with honey and lime in the morning may help flush out the toxins from the body but it has got nothing to do with shedding flab. “The bottled honey that you buy off the shelf is high in sugar and hardly has any weight loss effect,” says Dr Simran Saini. It is a myth that honey does not add fat to your body. Honey has just as much carbohydrates as sugar so it is best to restrict its use, especially if you're trying to lose weight or are diabetic.

You will not lose weight this way and if you have opted for honey as a sugar substitute, you may be disappointed. Since honey has some vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, nutritionally, it may be a better option when compared to sugar however a table spoon honey may be high in calories than a table spoon of sugar.

If you are interested in reaping rich nutritional benefits from honey, purchase only organic, fresh honey that is 100% pure. Also, read food labels carefully to ensure that the honey you purchase does not contain any other food additives/ingredients. It should not have a strong odour either nor should it have fermented.

Honey has a glycemic index value of 55 and sugar has a glycemic index of 68 which is much higher. Foods with a higher glycemic index lead to a higher rise in blood sugar levels which causes the body to keep releasing insulin from the pancreas to process all that sugar.

4."No grain is as healthy as wheat": If you thought wheat was the healthiest grain, you need to know this: Wheat is high in gluten that’s composed of sticky storage proteins. “It can trigger Gluten-sensitive enteropathy (GSE) that leads to inflammation of small intestine. Symptoms could be severe abdominal pain and loose motions,” says Dr. Simran Saini. Also processed wheat flour may contain a Super Starch – amylopectin A that is super fattening.
In people with diabetes, both white flour and wheat flour bread may raise blood sugar levels 70 to 120 mg/dl over starting levels. As we know foods with a high glycemic index make people store belly fat, trigger hidden fires of inflammation in the body, and give you a fatty liver leading the whole cascade of obesity, pre-diabetes and diabetes.

Wheat may not be a replacement to white polished rice as being assumed by several Indians of late. Get this clarity - rice and roti are both high in carbohydrates. Brown rice and flour made with brown rice may be actually better than wheat flour or wheat rava.

Therefore, learn to use barley, soya, gram flour and bajra rather than wheat alone while making chapattis or cookies. Also opt for combination of gluten free whole grains which come with fiber along with right composition of different colors of veggies and fruits to make your daily diet complete.

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