‘Eight hours’ sleep! And you must eat breakfast!

’ The truth behind 10 of the

biggest health beliefs
Level 3: Advanced

1
  Warmer

a. In pairs or groups, discuss the questions about health and itness.

1. What do you think of when you hear the terms bodybuilders, power-walkers or athletes?

2. What do you know about the medical conditions, diabetes and dementia? Can anything be
done to avoid them?

3. Have you heard of intermitent fasting? What does it mean? Is it healthy?

2
  Key words

a. Match the meanings to the words from the text. The words are in the order they appear in
the article.

1. a gland in the male reproductive system fibres

2. an activity that involves watching something to study it overeating

3. an amount of food premature

4. confused cardiovascular

5. connected participants

6. eating too much food associated

7. neither small nor large, light nor heavy, etc. servings

8. not doing something, usually harmful, e.g., not drinking abstinence

9. not processed i.e., fresh observational

10. relating to the heart and blood vessels moderate

11. relating to fat from animal food such as meat or milk predisposed

12. something that happens too early or earlier than expected torsos

midsection
13. the middle section of the human body, as described without head,
arms, or legs trigger

14. the part of the human body between the chest and waist conserve
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 ‘Eight hours’ sleep! And you must eat breakfast!’ The truth behind 10 of the
biggest health beliefs
Level 3: Advanced
15. the people who take part in an activity, such as a survey or game saturated

16. thread-like structures in the human body, particularly those that form prostate
muscles
confounded
17. to be more likely to have a medical condition
unprocessed
18. to keep and maintain
intake
19. to start something

20. what you put into your body i.e., food

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 ‘Eight hours’ sleep! And you must eat breakfast!’ The truth behind 10 of the
biggest health beliefs
Level 3: Advanced
Should we really be aiming to
walk 10,000 steps a day, or drink
two litres of water?
Joel Snape
4 January, 2023
Here are some widely held dietary and health-
based beliefs and what science says now – so
you can start making informed health decisions
this year.
1 ‘Lifting weights will give you big muscles’
This obviously isn’t true. To understand the
science, though, you have to realise that there
are two main ways to get strong: increasing the
size of individual muscle fibres or coaxing more
of them into firing at the same time.
Bodybuilders aim to do the first, by doing many
repetitions in each set of exercises, lifting until
their muscles fail. Athletes, who generally have
smaller shoulders than bodybuilders, aim to do
the second, by lifting heavier weights for fewer
reps, and avoiding muscular failure.
2 ‘Breakfast is the most important meal of the
day’
This is a tricky one. Although there is nothing
about the first meal of the day that makes it
especially magical, the timing of meals is
increasingly recognised as an important factor
in weight loss. One study found that those who
ate a large breakfast saw greater weight loss
than another group who had a low-calorie
breakfast and larger dinner.
“This might be because skipping breakfast
leads to increased hunger levels later in the
day, resulting in people overeating,” says Brady
Holmer, a researcher in nutrition.
3 ‘You should walk 10,000 steps a day’
This number wasn’t based on any science
when it was first used in the 1960s, but it might
be good advice. A study released in 2022 found
that walking may reduce the risk of premature
death from cardiovascular disease and cancer.
Another study found similar results for
dementia, with as little as 3,800 steps a day
proving effective. But it’s also worth stepping
up the pace, as the dementia study saw a
power-walker’s pace showing benefits above
and beyond the number of steps walked.
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4 ‘You need eight hours of sleep’
It’s easy to think of sleep as an individual
thing: some people need eight hours, while
others can get by on seven. But in one of the
largest ever sleep studies, launched in 2017,
participants who reported sleeping seven
to eight hours performed better cognitively
than those who slept more or less than that,
regardless of age. Those who slept four hours
or less performed as if they were almost nine
years older.
5 ‘You should aim to eat five portions of fruit
and veg a day’
“Many studies have found that roughly this
number is associated with improved health, but
there is also evidence that up to 10 servings
per day of these foods can be beneficial,”
says Holmer. In general, those who consume
more fruits and vegetables have lower risks for
cognitive decline and dementia, and diabetes,
and may even experience decreased levels
of stress.
6 ‘You need to drink two litres of water a day’
Staying hydrated is important, but the
recommendation to drink two litres of water a
day, while reasonable advice, is not based on
hard science. In 1974, a book by leading US
nutritionist Dr Frederick J Stare stated: “How
much water each day? For the average adult,
somewhere around six to eight glasses, and
this can be in the form of coffee, tea, milk, soft
drinks, beer, etc. Fruits and vegetables are also
good sources of water.” The bit about getting
your hydration from lattes, celery or Fanta
often gets lost – which is a shame because it’s
still valid.
7 ‘A daily glass of wine is better than
abstinence’
Sorry, plonk-lovers: this one is a classic of the
“correlation is not causation” genre. The old
recommendation to have a glass each night is
based on observational evidence that people
who classify themselves as “moderate
drinkers” (roughly 1-2 units a day) seem to
have a lower risk for some diseases. However,
recent research suggests that regular, small-
scale drinking is far from ideal: one study found
that even one or two drinks a day might
decrease the chance of healthy ageing and
reduce the size of your brain.
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 ‘Eight hours’ sleep! And you must eat breakfast!’ The truth behind 10 of the
biggest health beliefs
Level 3: Advanced
That said, there are well-known health benefits 10 ‘Red meat is bad for you’
that come from a lively social life – so if you
Red meat was often advised against because
are drinking the occasional pint with friends, it
it contains a lot of saturated fat – but it’s not
might be doing you more good than harm.
as simple as that. Several studies have shown
8 ‘Abdominal exercises will give you a an association between a higher intake of red
six-pack’ meat and an increased risk of prostate cancer
and heart disease, but it is now widely believed
“It makes a sort of sense that if you want
that the associations between red meat and
to build your abs, you would do typical ab
disease risk might be confounded, because
exercises like crunches and sit-ups,” says
many studies don’t distinguish between
Emma Storey-Gordon, a personal trainer and
processed (bacon, sausages, burgers and deli
sports scientist. “But the truth is that whether
meats) and unprocessed red meat intake.
you have visible abs or not has far more to do
with your body fat levels and where you are “Several recent studies have found that eating
predisposed to store fat than the number of sit- unprocessed red meat may not actually
ups you do.” Many resources will tell you that increase the risk for heart disease or cancer,”
you need to be around the 10-15 per cent body says Holmer. “And major health organisations
fat range to start seeing the outline of your have recommended that people can continue
abs if you’re male, or 15-20 per cent if you’re to eat unprocessed red meat.”
female. In reality, it’s a bit more complicated. “A © Guardian News and Media 2023
lot of women need to go below a healthy body First published in The Guardian, 4/1/2023
fat range for abs; those with longer torsos,
who don’t store fat around their midsection,
may not.”
9 ‘Dieting will slow your metabolism’
It’s a common trope that eating a very
low-calorie diet, or even fasting, will trigger
“starvation mode”, where the body slows
metabolism as a way to keep you from losing
any more weight. “While there’s no such thing
as ‘starvation mode’, there may be small
changes to someone’s metabolic rate when
they lose weight or go on a diet,” says Holmer.
“It’s called adaptive thermogenesis – a process
during which the body reduces its production
of heat in order to conserve energy.” This
might explain why some people have a hard
time keeping weight off, or even regain weight
after dieting. To lessen the chances of your
metabolism slowing down due to dieting or
weight loss, you should avoid rapid weight
loss: gradual is better.
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 ‘Eight hours’ sleep! And you must eat breakfast!’ The truth behind 10 of the
biggest health beliefs
Level 3: Advanced

3
  Comprehension check

a. Are these statements True (T) or False (F) according to the article? Correct
any that are false.

1. Lifting weights in different ways will give you a different body shape.

2. To stay healthy, it’s important that you don’t skip meals.

3. Walking faster is more important than walking a certain amount of steps.

4. Four hours sleep per night makes you perform as if you were younger.

5. Eating more fruits and vegetables increases stress levels.

6. You can also get your water intake from food and other drinks.

7. Even if you are a "moderate" alcohol consumer, it is likely to be unhealthy in

some way.

8. Crunches and sit-ups will give you a six-pack.

9. “Starvation mode” is a way to burn fat faster.

10. The type of red meat you eat will affect how healthy or unhealthy it is.

b. Reread the 10 health beliefs in the article. According to the writer, are these myths or is there
any truth to them? Discuss with a classmate.

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 ‘Eight hours’ sleep! And you must eat breakfast!’ The truth behind 10 of the
biggest health beliefs
Level 3: Advanced

4
  Key language

a. Try to complete the tables below with the different word forms from the article. An example
has been done for you.

restricting or limiting the foods you eat in order to be healthier Gerund Adjective
(Noun)
diet dieting dietary

Relating to the muscles around your stomach (Adjective) Abbreviated

Abbreviated Noun
Adjective
abdominal 1) 2)

how old you are (Noun) Gerund

age 3)

The unit of energy used to describe how nutritional different foods

Compound Noun
are (Noun)
calorie 4)

relating to the mental process of knowing, learning and Adverb

understanding (Adjective)
cognitive 5)

the act of absorbing water (Noun) Adjective

hydration 6)

the process in which the foods and drinks you consume change to
Adjective
energy (Noun)
metabolism 7)

tissue in the body that allow you to move (Noun) Adjective

muscle 8)

the branch of science that deal with how different foods help you
Noun - Person
stay healthy (Noun)
nutrition 9)

doing something, e.g., an exercise, over and over again (Noun) Abbreviation
repetitions 10)

b. Check your ideas by finding the words in the article. Correct any words you wrote incorrectly.
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 ‘Eight hours’ sleep! And you must eat breakfast!’ The truth behind 10 of the
biggest health beliefs
Level 3: Advanced

5
  Discussion

a. Discuss the following statements.

• "Eating healthy is more important than doing exercise."

• "You can get your diets and exercise plans from Youtube channels."

• “An apple a day keeps the doctor away."

6 In your own words

  

a. Choose one of the 10 health beliefs featured in the article that you disagree with. Write a short
essay, expressing why you disagree with the information in the article. Add your own
conclusion. You may wish to do research online to add evidence to your essay.

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 ‘Eight hours’ sleep! And you must eat breakfast!’ The truth behind 10 of the
biggest health beliefs
Level 3: Advanced – Teacher’s notes

Article summary: The article discusses 10

common health beliefs and whether they
are based on scientific facts or are myths.
Time: 60 minutes
3. Comprehension check
a. In this task, students read the statements and
decide whether they are true or false according to
the article, correcting any that are false.

Skills: Reading, Speaking, Writing Key:

Language focus: Vocabulary – Word Forms 1. True

2. True
Materials needed: One copy of the 3. True
worksheet per student 4. False. Studies have shown that people who
slept four hours performed as if they were nine
years older.
1. Warmer 5. People who consume more fruits and
vegetables experience decreased levels of
a. The purpose of this activity is to introduce the stress.
general themes of the lesson. Split the class 6. True
into pairs or groups and ask them to discuss the 7. True
questions. Be careful with the second question, as 8. False. Whether you have visible abs or not has
students may have personal experiences regarding far more to do with your body fat levels and
these health issues, and the third question, where you are predisposed to store fat than the
as fasting can also be associated with eating number of sit-ups you do.
disorders. 9. False. There is no such thing as "starvation
mode", but there may be some changes to
someone's metabolism when they go on a diet.
2. Key words
10.True
a. Students should do the article individually but may b. Direct students to the 10 headings in the article.
require a model first as the structure of the activity Students should then, in small groups, discuss what
is a little different to their usual vocabulary matching the author’s opinion is regarding each of the
activity. statements.
Some of the terminology isn’t common and may
be difficult for students to understand outside of
4. Key language
context. Encourage students to use dictionaries or
their phones to clarify the meanings of any words a. Students should be asked to do this exercise
they don’t understand. individually before they check their answers. Go
through the example before students begin the
Key: activity.
1. prostate, 2. observational, 3. servings, 1. ab 6. hydrated
4. confounded, 5. associated, 6. overeating, 2. abs 7. metabolic
7. moderate, 8. abstinence, 9. unprocessed, 3. ageing 8. muscular
10. cardiovascular, 11. saturated, 12. premature , 4. low-calorie 9. nutritionist
13. torsos, 14. midsection, 15. participants, 16. fibres, 5. cognitively 10. reps
17. predisposed, 18. conserve, 19. trigger, 20. intake
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 ‘Eight hours’ sleep! And you must eat breakfast!’ The truth behind 10 of the
biggest health beliefs
Level 3: Advanced – Teacher’s notes
b. Students should be asked to do this exercise
Students should then find the different word forms
in the article to check their answers. Give the class
a chance to correct any words they wrote
incorrectly or did not get. If students are still
struggling, ask them to create personalized
sentences using each of the word forms.

5. Discussion

a. In the discussion prompts, students are given an

opportunity to express their own opinions about the
health beliefs and opinions. If you have more time,
ask students to work in small groups, but if not, ask
them to discuss in pairs.

6. In your own words

a. This essay could be done as homework. It can also

be a useful timed essay activity for those who have
English language exams in the near future. For those
who have difficulty choosing one of the beliefs, refer
them back to the Discussion task from before.

b. It’s important students get an opportunity to give and

receive feedback on their written work so be sure to
dedicate some class time to this, even if it is in a
future class.

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