Nutrition quiz: how diet savvy are you? Test your nutritional IQ and find out how much you really know

 1   (T)   (F)   Chocolate is the best dessert to
                 snack on.

 2   (T)   (F)   Pita bread is healthier than
                 regular bread.

 3   (T)   (F)   Frozen vegetables are less
                 nutritious than fresh vegetables.

 4   (T)   (F)   Skipping meals is a great way to
                 lose weight.

 5   (T)   (F)   It's OK to eat after 8 p.m.

 6   (T)   (F)   Certain foods like cabbage,
                 grapefruit, and celery are natural
                 fat burners that can help you
                 lose weight.

 7   (T)   (F)   Dairy foods make guys fat.

 8   (T)   (F)   Whole wheat is always better.

 9   (T)   (F)   "Light" olive oil is no healthier
                 than the regular variety.

10   (T)   (F)   Sea salt is better for you than
                 regular salt.

1 True

Chocolate contains flavonoids, which can help decrease the risk of heart disease and stroke. Keep it lean by choosing premium dark chocolate, which not only contains the most flavonoids but also is the lowest in calories and fat.

2 False

Pita bread is made with the same white flour that makes white bread spike your body's insulin levels and therefore steer your system into fat-storage mode. If you must eat pita, choose only the whole-grain version.

3 False

Frozen vegetables are picked when fully ripe and usually processed later the same day, which prevents most of their nutrients from being lost. Fresh vegetables are often picked well before they have the chance to ripen and are shipped all around the world, losing nutrients through exposure to heat, cold, and sunlight all along the way.

4 False

Your body needs a certain number of calories throughout the day in order to function properly. Skimp on those nutrients and your metabolism slows in an attempt to keep you from starving. And the slower your metabolism is, the more likely you are to be overweight. Besides, if you skip meals, you just eat more when you finally do sit down in front of a plate.

5 True

It doesn't matter what time of day you eat--it's how much you eat during the whole day and how much exercise you get that makes you gain or lose weight. No matter when you eat your meals, your body stores the extra calories you take in as fat.

6 False

Although there are spicy, acidic foods that may help speed up your metabolism, there are no foods that burn fat specifically. Before you start smelling like a garbage dump and can't get any dates, try reducing your total calories and exercising more if you want to tip the scales in your favor.

7 False

Recent research shows that in addition to providing calcium and vitamin D, eating three servings of low-fat dairy food each day could help you lose up to 10 pounds over the course of a year.

8 False

In general, whole wheat does have more trace nutrients than white and also more fiber, but if you don't read labels, you can be easily duped. Breads labeled "wheat" use wheat flour but are not necessarily whole grain--the brown color is from caramel coloring. The label needs to read 100% whole grain or whole wheat in order to be truly considered healthy.

9 True

In this case, light refers only to the color of the oil; it has nothing to do with fat content or calories. Extra-virgin oil is from the first cold pressing of the olives without any heat or chemicals, so it's lighter in color. But as far as calories go, it's exactly the same.

10 False

There's basically no difference between the two; both are 99% sodium chloride. The main difference is that sea salt doesn't contain any additives, and table salt contains magnesium carbonate to prevent clumping and potassium iodine to prevent--of all things--goiter.

HOW'D YOU DO?

8-10 CORRECT You're a diet pro. If your abs aren't already visible, keep working at it, because you've got the knowledge to get them there.

5-7 CORRECT Not bad. You've got some things to learn, but you're well on the way toward getting lean.

FEWER THAN 5 You--and your abs--need immediate help! Turn to page 49 right now and order a lifetime subscription of MF.

COPYRIGHT 2006 Weider Publications
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