There are so many diet myths it is actually frightening because people trying to lose weight and better their health often do not know where to turn to for accurate information. With diet trends, inaccurate diet tips, food trends, where do you begin in making healthy food choices? Well let me start off with telling you the truth about the most common nutrition myths. These are myths that as a nutritionist and trainer I have had countless clients approach me about. And I hope to help put your mind at ease and help you to lose weight and better your health as a result!
1 Avoid Eating if You Are Not Hungry
Waiting to eat until you are hungry could seriously be the worst thing for your diet. Because when you finally eat, you will actually end up eating more as a result of being starving. Then you end up eat larger meals less frequently which can seriously hinder your metabolic rate. Avoid a sluggish metabolic rate by choosing to eat small frequent meals throughout the day, approximately every 2-3 hours.
Frequently asked questions
2 You Can Still Lose Weight Eating Anything You Want, Just in Moderation
Okay this cannot be farther from the truth because if you are eating French fries, candy and donuts on the daily, regardless of whether you eat smaller portion sizes, these choices will halt your weight loss or possibly even cause you to gain weight. Eat healthy meals consistently and the occasional treat will not break your diet.
3 A Low Carb Diet is the Only Way to Get Shredded
There are so many misconceptions on nutrition and unfortunately references to carbs as being bad are a huge one. So many dieters think to lose weight and see definition you have to eliminate or dramatically lower your carbohydrate intake. In order to see definition you do need to eat the right kind of carbs and that is complex carbs. So choose the whole grain rather than white to fuel your body and your workouts each day!
4 It Costs a Great More to Eat Healthy
There is a large myth that eating healthy will actually cost a great deal more money. But if you were to look at all the snacks you purchase with an unhealthy diet and then the doctor’s visits from getting sick, due to a poor diet. I guarantee you the healthier food choices cost less in the long run.
5 When You Exercise You Need to Consume More Protein
As a trainer and nutritionist, I have countless clients that come to me asking how much they should increase their protein because of their increased exercise level. And surprisingly for the average exerciser the answer is nothing. Unless you are a professional athlete, the recommended daily allowance for protein is adequate. Too much protein is actually stored as fat so be smart in your food choices.
6 Late Night Snacking Causes Weight Gain
So often people that are at a weight loss plateau or wanting to lose weight turn to eliminating late night snacking. And if you are snacking on chips and unhealthy foods, this makes sense. But if you are eating veggies, salads and low carb healthy snacks in the evening, it is perfectly fine. In fact you will wake up less famished the next day. Just eat smart!
7 Meat is the Only Way to Get Your Recommended Daily Allowance of Protein
There are numerous sources of lean protein like eggs, fish, chicken and lean meat that can help you to meet your daily requirement of protein. Just make sure that if you pair this with a carb it is with a complex carb like brown rice. This will help you to stay on track to losing weight and feeling great!
So tell me what is the nutrition myth you hear frequently?
