By Isabella Sorresso

Welcome back to part three, our final segment, of debunking popular food myths. We’ve gone over five other myths the past couple of weeks and we’re not stopping there! Today we’re going over which types of things are actually fattening rather than which foods you think are fattening.

Calories Eaten at Night are More Fattening
Calories are calories. Eating them at night does not suddenly make them more fattening, but how many you eat at night could be where weight gain is coming from. Though it is true that your body burns fewer calories when you’re asleep and dormant than while you’re awake and moving, your body doesn’t work according to our man-made clocks and is continually working to burn calories. However, it is also true that by the time 8 p.m. rolls around, you should have already consumed about 90 percent of your caloric intake for the day. If you eat less than that before the 8 p.m. “deadline” then decide to have a full meal late at night, this can lead to overeating and the overeating is what will inevitably lead to weight gain. The misconception that eating late at night is more fattening began with a false correlation between overeating and nighttime. In all reality, overeating in any capacity is harmful for you. So, try your best to eat your meals during the day, but leaving about a 100-200 calorie buffer will give you the perfect amount of room to satisfy your late-night snack cravings!

Eating Pasta Will Make You Fat
This myth needed to be debunked for the sake of Italians all over the world. But seriously, just like every other food, portion size is the real culprit here. Pasta in a normal portion size is actually healthy for you and is a great source of carbohydrates, which should act as about 50% of your daily calories. “Pasta is a wholesome, low sodium food that can fit right in with your weight loss plan,” according to the National Pasta Association’s website. “One cup of cooked pasta contains about 200 calories, in addition to valuable vitamins and minerals. It also fills you up so you don’t feel hungry while trying to lose weight.”