'Don't fall for the food myths my friends do'

I studied nutrition at uni, so can usually sniff a dubious food myth from a mile off. I agree though, at first glance, they're often very believable.

These are the health food claims I repeatedly have to tell my friends aren't true.

This usually comes from friends trying to lose weight or 'be healthier'. The reality is carbs are our main supply of energy. We need them.

But, the three main types of carbs – sugar, starch and fibre – vary massively. Especially in how they interact with your body and how they release sugar and other nutrients.

If you mostly choose nutrient-dense carbs, including wholegrains and fruit and veg, you won't go wrong.

Plus, these all come with fibre, which helps digestion, keeps us feeling fuller for longer and helps improve our gut health. This is a key nutrient that's lacking in most of our diets (90% of us aren't getting enough), so that's a double win for carbs.

I've listened to so many conversations where foods have been talked about solely as calorie counts.

Some friends have found obsessing over calories has had a negative impact on their relationship with food, while I've seen others become so bogged down in the numbers that they've stopped considering nutrients at all.

Not all calories are equal. For instance, 100 calories of chocolate could lead to a quick blood sugar spike followed by a crash that leaves you feeling hungry again, while 100 calories of a banana will see a slower release of sugar, leaving you feeling fuller for longer. Not to mention come with extra vitamins, minerals and fibre.

Of course, there's a place for both in a balanced diet. So, instead of obsessing over calories, my advice is to go for nutritious, tasty food most of the time and top up with other favourites – like chocolate – every now and then.

It's important we don't demonise foods.

A friend once told me they put honey in their tea instead of sugar because it's natural – and therefore healthier.

But here's the thing: our bodies still just see it as sugar.

Agave syrup and maple syrup also often pop up in 'healthy' or 'sugar-free' recipes. And sure, some natural sugar alternatives may come with a couple more micronutrients than refined sugar, but they're in such tiny quantities that there's little difference between them. They're still sugar.

The World Health Organisation recommends we limit added sugars in our diet (I'm talking about free sugars, like white and brown sugar, honey, syrups, fruit juices and agave – whole fruits are a different ballgame) to below 5%, external of our recommended energy intake. That's 6–7 teaspoons of added sugar per day. So it's important to keep an eye on those labels and see sugar as sugar.

As a vegetarian I'm frequently told I'll struggle to get enough protein without meat or fish. When I went vegan for a while, the comments went through the roof!

Most vegetarians easily get enough protein though, from foods like dairy, eggs, pulses and nuts.

Likewise, there are plenty of ingredients vegans can rely on to reach their protein goals.

It's good to include a range of these sources in your diet, to ensure you get all the different proteins needed to build and repair cells.

But there are some micronutrients you might need to keep an eye on if you're vegetarian or follow a plant-based diet, including vitamin B12 and iron.

You can get B12 from milk (plant-based alternatives are often fortified with this too) and fortified breakfast cereals, while iron is found in pulses and dark green vegetables.

'I'll buy the healthier free-from biscuits because they don't contain milk or wheat', I hear. Or, 'I'm avoiding gluten at the moment', from people who have no issues with digestion.

It's understandable that some people have bad impressions of ingredients like wheat and milk, when a section of the supermarket is devoted to free-from foods sold in green, natural-looking packaging.

But unless you genuinely need to avoid certain ingredients, those products aren't better for you than standard versions.

Gluten is a protein found in wheat, and has picked up a bad rep. For people with a gluten intolerance or coeliac disease (an autoimmune disease), it's absolutely necessary to avoid it.

Likewise, for those with a lactose intolerance, external it's important to avoid milk, as lactose is the main sugar in milk.

But, if you think you might have a food intolerance, allergy or autoimmune disease, it's best to get checked out by your GP.

Lottie Savage graduated with a BSc in Nutrition from the University of Leeds in 2020.

Originally published November 2020. Updated February 2026.

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