Busting 5 Nutrition Myths
By quickly scanning any social media platform, you’ll notice there’s no shortage of “health” advice.....and myths. Below, you’ll find 5 common myths that still confuse and distort good nutritional advice.
1) High-Fat Foods/Diets Are Unhealthy
This is a multi-decade-old myth pushed forward by really, really bad epidemiological “science." Low-fat diets are actually associated with a greater incidence of lifestyle diseases including obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and imbalanced cholesterol. The long and short of it: Don’t Fear the Fat! In fact, we MUST consume fat in our diet if we want to be healthy because we cannot create the fats we need to thrive, hence the term ESSENTIAL fatty acid (EFA). Again, don’t fear the fat.
2) All Juices and Smoothies Are Healthy
This might come as a surprise to some of you: that glass of freshly juiced fruit you have every morning may not be the healthy practice you think it is. In fact, that glass of juice may be a glorified cup of sugar water with a few extra vitamins. Many smoothies are even laden with honey, agave, and high glycemic fruit to make them more palatable. These types of smoothies and juices can react in your body much as soda does. Remember, fiber is the antidote to sugar, so by removing it (juicing) or not including fiber-rich foods (smoothies), you can be causing unnecessary metabolic wear and tear. The key: High protein, high fiber, and low glycemic. Opt for smoothies and use dark leafy greens, fatty seeds, and your favorite proteins to be the base.
3) Breakfast Is the Most Important Meal of the Day!
No, it’s not. In fact, with only 12% of the United States is considered metabolically healthy, per a recent UNC study, you may be better off skipping it altogether. Turns out there are positive effects of picking up a cup of black coffee instead of that cereal and orange juice in the morning. Improvements in metabolic markers such as blood pressure, A1C, LDL, waist-to-hip ratio, etc. are attributed to longer fasting windows (Intermittent Fasting). The down and dirty: you can save time, money, energy, and health by increasing your fasting window (the time when you stop eating in the evening and start eating the next day). Consult your doctor and experience the benefits yourself! Bonus: This same logic applies to the “6 meals a day to stoke the metabolic flame”. Constant eating and feeding can actually contribute to a slipping, suboptimal metabolism. You don’t need to be constantly eating to have a high metabolism. You do need to exercise, eat unprocessed Whole Foods, sleep and recover well, deal with environmental stressors, and be metabolically flexible, though.
4) Fat Burners and Certain Foods Burn Fat & Increase Metabolism.
Technically, I guess this isn’t a myth. Certain foods (and supplements made from them, such as the capsaicin from peppers) do in fact “increase your metabolism” and increase caloric output. For instance, we see bold claims that green tea (and green tea-based supplements) are a potent way to rev your metabolism....and, it sure does! By about 7 calories for the entire day on a 2,000 calorie diet. 7 whole calories!!!! To put it in perspective, a pound of body fat is 3,500 calories. It would take you 500 days to burn a single pound of fat. Save your money and stop looking for shortcuts. It’s not sexy but the tried and true method of an unprocessed, whole-food-based diet and exercise will take you wherever you want from a health perspective and beyond. Want to expedite weight loss? Aim for 1g/protein per pound of ideal body weight daily.
5) You Have 30 Minutes After Your Workout to Hit Your “Anabolic Window”
There may be benefits for certain populations such as bodybuilders (who are already getting enough protein) to focus on the timing. For most of us, though, the timing isn’t important. What’s important is actually getting enough protein because the vast majority of people aren’t getting enough. You should worry about obtaining adequate amounts daily before ever worrying about timing. Again, 1g per pound of ideal body weight is the goal here at Whealth. If you were to track your protein consumption over the course of the week I would be shocked if you reached that number even 1 day out of the week. You have to be very intentional to obtain that number. Try this: Track just your protein consumption in grams over the next week and see how many days you hit that number. I imagine the findings will be eye-opening. As far as the myth: your body doesn’t forget how to use/absorb protein 30 minutes after working out.
These are just a few of the myths that have circulated for many years. I’m sure I missed some classics, what’s a favorite myth of yours you’d like to shine a light on?