Test your food IQ

Think you've got the goods on vitamins and vegetables? Answer our questions and see if your know-how has you eating smart.

1. Place these foods in order of their fibre content, from greatest to least.
a. Two slices white bread
b. 250 millilitres (one cup) baked beans
c. Two slices whole wheat bread
d. One pear
e. 250 millilitres (one cup) enriched pasta
f. One medium orange

Answer:
b. 250 millilitres (one cup) baked beans, 19 grams of fibre
d. One pear, five grams
c. Two slices whole wheat bread, 3.5 grams
f. One medium orange, 2.5 grams
e. 250 millilitres (one cup) enriched pasta, two grams
a. Two slices white bread, 0.7 grams

The recommended daily intake of fibre is 25 to 35 grams. Generally, the best sources of fibre are legumes, some – but not all – fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grain breads, bran and whole grain cereals. Most beans, with the exception of green and yellow string beans, are excellent sources of fibre. Surprisingly, meats and some vegetables, such as lettuce, are very low in fibre: 90 grams (three ounces) of roast beef, for instance, has 0.2 grams of fibre; 250 millilitres (one cup) of lettuce has 0.6 grams.

2. Which type of oil has the lowest fat and calorie content?
a. Olive oil
b. Corn oil
c. Coconut oil

Answer:
They're all equal. When it comes to fat and calories, all oils are the same. All contain about 14 grams of fat and 125 calories per 15 millilitres (one tablespoon). What separates the good from the bad is their respective mixes of unsaturated and saturated fats.

Olive oil is mainly made up of monounsaturated fats, which help lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (the "bad" cholesterol). Corn oil contains mostly polyunsaturated fats, which are also linked to lowering LDL cholesterol. Coconut oil is almost wholly composed of saturated fats, which tend to raise LDL cholesterol, increasing your risk of heart disease.

3. Vitamin supplements will give you extra energy. True or false?

Answer:
False. Our energy is fuelled by the calories we consume in food, so adding supplements to a well-nourished body won't provide extra energy. While the function of some vitamins is to help your body use calories, vitamins on their own won't provide energy.

If, however, you have low energy levels due to a vitamin deficiency, correcting that deficiency – whether through food or supplements – will increase your energy.

4. Which foods can help lower your cholesterol?
a. Oatmeal
b. Dried beans
c. Flax
d. Whole wheat bread

Answer:
All except d. Oatmeal, dried beans and flax are rich sources of soluble fibre, which helps lower blood cholesterol levels and, therefore, reduces the risk of heart disease. The whole wheat bread contains insoluble fibre, which may help prevent constipation and bowel disease but has little effect on cholesterol levels.

5. Cottage cheese is an excellent source of calcium. True or false?

Answer:
False. Cottage cheese is high in protein, but it isn't the excellent calcium source that many of us assume. A 250-gram (eight-ounce) measure of cottage cheese contains about 150 milligrams of calcium, while 45 grams (1 1/2 ounces) of hard cheese, such as Cheddar, contains 325 milligrams, and 250 millilitres (one cup) of 2% milk contains 310 milligrams. Adults from 19 to 50 should consume 1,000 milligrams of calcium daily; adults over 50 need 1,200 milligrams daily.