Some Food Myths and how the Food Standards Agency is perpetuating them.

When I looked on 23rd October 2006 at page http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/healthydiet/foodmyths/#elem221121 - part of the Food Standards Agency stable of webpages - I saw the paragraph:
"The most effective way to lose weight – and keep it off – is by changing your lifestyle for good. You need to eat a healthy balanced diet, which means eating plenty of fruit and vegetables, basing your meals on starchy foods, cutting down on foods high in sugar or fat, and by being more physically active."

But actually, cutting down on sugar and fat is not necessary to lose weight. Nor is it necessary to be more physically active in order to lose weight. - All that is normally necessary to lose weight is to eat less salt/sodium, and, preferably, eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, because the potassium these contain helps to displace excess sodium from the body.

Nor was there any mention on page http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/healthissues/obesity/ (another of the Food Standards Agency pages) of the role of salt sensitivity and fluid retention in causing obesity and the need to eat less salt if you want to lose weight.

Although http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/healthissues/obesity/ does concede that "Sometimes certain medical conditions and drug treatments can cause weight gain," it has the usual (yawn!) misinformation about calories. - I quote: "When someone is obese, it means they have put on weight to the point that it could seriously endanger their health. This is caused by a combination of eating too many calories and not doing enough physical activity." The claim that "This is caused by a combination of eating too many calories and not doing enough physical activity" is simply not true!

I certainly agree that eating plenty of fruit and vegetables assists in weight loss, and "cutting down on foods high in sugar or fat, and by being more physically active" may well have some health benefits but does not reduce obesity. - The absolutely ESSENTIAL requirement for weight loss is to eat less salt/sodium and they do not even MENTION salt in the context of losing excess weight! - Nor does http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/healthydiet/foodmyths/ give the best advice about salt. - They advise cutting intake to no more than 6g a day. - But if you are very overweight or indeed obese, then you need to reduce your salt intake to the absolute minimum you can manage - much less than 6g a day. - This will enable you to lose as much weight as possible. - Don't worry about whether you will be getting enough sodium. - All food and all water contains a small amount of sodium and this is sufficient for the body's requirements. - So provided you are eating enough food and drinking enough fluid to stay alive, you will be getting enough sodium. - If you are not eat/drinking enough to stay alive then you've got more important problems than sodium to contend with!...(o:

I noticed today - April 8th, 2007 - (I can't remember whether it was there last time I looked at the page) that they have invented a bit of strange misinformation...(o: - http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/healthydiet/foodmyths/ says today:

"Drinking water that is ice cold doesn't use up any more calories than drinking water at room temperature."

Well of course drinking ice cold water does use up more calories than drinking water at room temperature. - I wonder why they are claiming that it doesn't? - The point is though, that it is completely irrelevant as far as reducing obesity is concerned, because obesity is not caused by calorie excess and is not reduced by calorie deficit.

I see that http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/healthissues/obesity/ also states:

You might be interested in the National Audit Office's Tackling Obesity in England. For a copy of this or other Government publications, contact the Stationery Office.

Don't bother! - I've got a copy and it gives the usual garbage/misinformation about obesity being caused by overeating/too many calories and says that calorie reduction and more physical activity is the way to combat obesity. - It isn't ! - It doesn't work! - It is unnecessary, counter-productive, harmful and often downright dangerous!

Incidentally, I wonder whether the freelance dietitians who have a link on the http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/healthissues/obesity/ page pay the Food Standards Agency for that link or for the business that accrues to them from it? - Maybe there is no cash involved. Maybe they just have reciprocal links. - My website definitely has no sponsored links. There is no gain to me, financial or otherwise, from your visiting my website or from taking any of the advice it contains. I alone pay all the costs of my website. - So you know that the advice I give is impartial and not tainted by considerations of possible profit.

Forget about calories! - Cut down on salt! - You'll lose weight fast - as if by magic!

Lose weight by eating less salt! Go on! - Try it! - You will feel so much better!
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