Nutrition Myths You Should Forget

People want to eat healthily and feel better, but through the years many nutrition myths have spread that aren’t accurate. Perhaps at the time they were considered ‘fact’, but since then science has debunked them, or they were never correct to begin with.

Healthy eating and a healthy lifestyle improve your quality of life, after all. Don’t sabotage yourself!

Here are five myths that people believe in that which be ignored. If you’re following these beliefs, then it’s time to change your mindset and seek healthier advice.

1) Low-Calorie Diets Work

If you want to sustain a healthy lifestyle, then it has to last for the rest of your life. Low-calorie diets (> 500 calorie deficit) may lead to weight loss in the short term, but the long-term effects include weight gain, low energy, hormonal issues, and loss of muscle.

Every person has a minimum daily calorie requirement, which is your base energy needs. Low-calorie diets don’t provide the energy your body requires.

2) Eating Late Causes Weight Gain

You’ve probably heard people say not to eat or drink anything after 8 p.m. because your metabolism slows down at night when you sleep and leads to fat storage instead of energy expenditure. This simply isn’t true.

The only way it would cause weight gain is if you took in more calories than you expended. The time of day you eat has nothing to do with how it’s used by the body.

3) Benefits of Juice Cleansing

Juice cleansing has become popular because people believe it causes rapid weight loss and detoxifies the body. Participants refrain from eating solid food and instead only drink fruit and vegetable-based drinks for hours or days on end. The juice is high in vitamins and minerals but doesn’t have dietary fiber, protein, and other much-needed nutrients.

Weight loss is due to water, and it doesn’t detoxify the body. The kidneys and liver do that.

4) Carbs Are Bad

Lately, the biggest villain in nutrition seems to be carbohydrates, because people believe they are metabolized in sugar and cause weight gain. For anyone who may be wondering what a Carb is, they are a macronutrient, one of three (alongside proteins and fats). Carbohydrates can be found in foods like bread and pasta, fruits, soda, candy, and beans.

In reality, the body uses carbs for energy. The MAIN source of energy.

Eating moderate amounts of carbs won’t cause weight gain, but people with diabetes and pre-diabetes should watch their carb intake, but not eliminate it. Same for those with a gluten allergy.

The rumor they are bad for you probably started when someone realized that most junk food is incredibly heavy in carbs (and fats, but that is another topic), and the two were correlated. Or, someone correlated weight gain with carbs instead of the real reason: An unbalanced diet that is too heavy in carbs and too little protein.

The key with carbohydrates, like anything else in life, is to not overdo it…

5) Protein Causes Liver Damage

Protein is a necessary nutrient and processed in the liver. People believe that eating too much can cause liver and kidney damage. Studies show that high protein diets do not cause liver and kidney problems.

Proteins help the body feel satiated and improve metabolic markers. They also support, maintain, repair, and build body tissue. When you have a low protein diet, everything suffers from muscle health to DNA replication.

Do. Not. Skimp. On. Your. Protein. Intake.

Ever.

Don’t Follow Debunked Nutrition Tips

These nutrition myths are believed by many people attempting to live a healthier life. We hope by debunking them it leads to a better chance at being healthy.

If you want to get up-to-date and authentic nutrition advice, then talk to a licensed nutritionist, a sports nutritionist (like those found here), or find more reliable online sources.

Let us help you out

We can get you setup with a periodized workout plan, supplement information, and advice on nutrition to help you reach your goals.

Personal trainers, like those found here, can help guide you on your pathway towards reaching your fitness goals, whether that is getting bigger, stronger, faster, more lean, or just staying in shape while stuck at home.

The only thing you need is some motivation and a willingness to change some old habits.

Get into contact with us to find out what membership is right for you. In a Conditionerd program, you’ll be surrounded by others who can help you to get where you want to be.

Generally, our clients start to see some pretty awesome changes in 2-3 months time, some sooner.