I am on Livestrong’s mailing list (I use thedailyplate*), but never read what they send me. I just delete. I get way too much mail. I shouldn’t do this because it’s all about diet and exercise, the things I am passionate about and read about all day, but I always assumed the articles would be junk.
The title of this specific article, however, immediately caught my attention: “The most shocking diet myths.” I have to admit, I thought it would be crap, but to the contrary, it’s awesome. First, all the myths are so, so commonplace and so ingrained in people’s brains that they don’t question them or necessarily give a second thought to current research regarding them. Also, they brilliantly used two of the top experts in sports nutrition and exercise, Emma-Leigh Syncott and Alan Aragon. No, this article would not be a joke.
- Eat Regularly and Boost Your Metabolism
People commonly think you have to eat every 2-3 hours to rev up your metabolism. False. No research supports this and “[t]he energy it takes to break down food is directly proportional to the amount of calories in the meal.” While not mentioned here, it’s even possible that eating small, frequent meals is somewhat hurtful because digestive systems, according to Dr. Fuhrman, need to rest to optimally digest and then burn off the food. Plus, in terms of health, he suggests that when our bodies are constantly digesting food they aren't able to rid themselves of toxins. My own opinion is that do what works for you in terms of your hunger and satiety levels, your schedule, your personal preference, etc.
- "Clean Foods" Make You Lose Weight Faster
I personally have no problem with the term “clean eating,” although heaps of people, excluding Tosca Reno and all her devotees, do. I think it makes the point clear, so for that reason alone, I couldn’t care less about people using it (btw, when people talk about "clean bulks," that refers to the caloric surplus and not the types of foods). In any case, the specific foods you eat do not affect your body composition. Your physique and weight loss goals are not thwarted by eating less-than-healthy food. It’s all about calories in vs calories out. It’s that simple. That is not true for eating for health or performance, of course, but for physique goals, it’s about cals and macro’s. So much so that you can easily gain weight by eating only “clean” foods if you are not eating at a caloric deficit.
- You Can Only Digest 30 Grams of Protein Per Meal
People believe this without even knowing why they believe it. It’s so-called common knowledge, yet it’s wrong. There was a study showing “muscle protein synthesis around a 20 to 30 gram dose of protein. However, this has nothing to do with the rate of digestion of protein.” Total protein in a day matters, but not in a given meal.
I will probably be saying this until I die. Dietary fat does not equal body fat. Eat at least .4-.5 g/lb for optimum health and performance. Some examples of healthy fats include seeds, nuts, nut butter, fatty fish, avocado, the yolks of eggs, and coconut or olive oil.
- Night Eating Makes you Fat
Your body does not care when you eat. Once again, it’s about calories in vs calories out, and not timing of meals. If night eating made you fat, I’d be obese. My most caloric meal of the day is my pre-bed meal.
I think we debunked this the other day when we saw that overweight people who ate carbs at dinner lost more weight than those who only ate carbs earlier in the day, but also, again, it’s just about total calories. Syncott even says that eating at night, including carbs, actually can help with weight loss by preserving lean muscle mass and promoting hormones involved in fat loss. I've also read anecdotal evidence several times that eating popcorn before bed helps people sleep. And I know people who swear by a nice bowl of oatmeal before bed.
Nothing overrides the fact that calories matter.
- Carbohydrates Are Fattening
I never understood why some people are so carb-phobic, but I see and hear it all the time. You’re better off staying away from processed carbs, but carbs are fine and even beneficial. Don’t fear carbs. They won’t make you fat unless you go over your caloric needs, but that is the case with any macro or food.
Many people think the artificial sweeteners trick your body and make you crave sweets and store fat, but there is no research supporting this. If you feel this is true for you, it’s probably just a mental thing. However, because colas are not good for you or your bones, it’s not a bad idea to avoid them or drink sparingly anyway.
- Choosing Low GI Carbohydrates is Essential for Losing Fat
I hate all the GI and GL stuff. Some really healthy foods have a high GI content, but that doesn’t mean we should avoid them or that they’ll make us fat. Aragon recommends focusing instead on "the calories, nutrition and the amount of processing involved in making a food.” Focusing on GI is something that I think will be around for a while, unfortunately.
- Any "White" Food Will Make You Fat
First, no one food or food group will make you fat. I generally stay away from most white foods because they often are devoid of nutritional value, but I am fine with potatoes, even though they are white and many avoid them. Potatoes are good for you. In any case, nutritional value of a food does not make a difference in terms of weight loss. And any food is fine in moderation anyway.
- The Paleolithic Diet is Superior for Health
I never really understood the appeal w/ paleo, keto, or other common bb'er diets. I didn't know a lot of non-bb'ers knew abt and followed a paleo diet. It can, of course, work, but that doesn't mean you ought or need to follow it. In my opinion, if you're going to follow any "diet," especially for health reasons, have it be the mediterranean. So much research supporting positive health benefits. But, really, just go with something you're likely to follow and with which you won't feel deprived.
- Weight Loss Supplements Work
I hate that fat burners and thermogenics exist, and so, so many people take them. I also hate when fitness magazines have ads for them on every other page. They almost always have side-effects and are not worth the money. There are no quick fixes, and these don't even give you an edge.
So many bb'ers think this. Or maybe not that it'll make you fat, per se, but that it should be avoided. Do people not remember all those studies years ago that showed that people who ate a certain number of servings of dairy a day actually lost weight? Not just weight, but abdominal fat, which is the worst kind of fat. "[R]esearchers from the University of Tennessee found that dairy might help the loss of belly fat when you’re on a diet." Some dairy foods are caloric, so that's the only thing to watch out for. I have 2 servings of light cheese, 1 serving of greek yogurt, and 1 serving of cottage cheese a day. I don't particularly like full fat dairy (i.e., I don't think it's the healthiest) but I do usually get 2 percent. Also, a lot of people who love cheese really only appreciate full fat cheese and often a small amount will do.
- Protein Shakes Make You Bulky
Some people won't drink protein shakes because they think they'll get "bulky" and others do take them because they think it'll allow them to gain muscle. There are two trainers at my gym who fall into the latter camp. Annoys me to no end. Protein powder is just protein. It's an easy, convenient, portable way to get protein in. I also love the taste, esp in yummy concoctions. Some people don't like them, and if you're one of those people, don't drink them! Whey isn't necessary pre or post workout, nor is casein before bed. In any case, again, there's nothing magical about it. Most contain 100-120 cals and around 20-25 g protein. So have protein powder or have protein-rich foods. Either works. To gain mass, you have to eat at a surplus and lift heavy, and it is not easy at all and certainly not attained because of protein powder. And, of course, a lot of people who fear it'll make them bulky are women, for whom it is even harder to gain muscle and for whom don't have it in our makeup to be that way.
Protein bars are candy bars with protein, in my opinion, and contain way too many ingredients. Read the ingredients. Do you know what all those things are? They often contain a lot of sugar, but I dislike the low or no sugar ones as well. I don't like bars at all. The only ones I'd consider are quest bars and larabars (the latter isn't a protein bar, and there actually great sites with recipes to make your own, which is always best). I used to eat gnu bars (fiber) but won't even eat them anymore. Eat real food, or if you want a protein bar, make your own. There are millions of recipes online.
You Need to Cut Your Sodium to Help Heart Health
Salt is necessary to maintain your blood pressure. If you work out heavily, you need even more sodium. The only problem is that people generally get way too much without realizing it. If you increase your potassium intake, you can help offset having too much sodium. That is why, for example, when people are bloated and holding water weight from a big chinese meal or something, people are told to have potassium-rich foods. Regardless, the concerns about sodium and heart health are overstated. "The only people who are really at risk are those with dangerously high blood pressure." I still would, however, pay attention to the amount of sodium you're getting from take-out, processed and canned foods.
- You Need to Eat Immediately After a Workout
This is a tough one for me to swallow, for some reason. I have read a lot of current research debunking the magical 30-60 min postworkout window, yet I still feel the need to fuel myself right after I work out. It works out fine because I am ravenous after a tough lifting session (typically my meal 3 is what I eat pwo), but I would be lying if I said I didn't also feel like it's beneficial. This is the only food myth that I really can't get over, even though I've read tons, including a lot by Aragon, that say it's totally unnecessary. The livestrong piece says that while there is research that shows that protein synthesis is greatest at 1-3 hours pwo (so not even the 30-60 min I have in my head, and if I'm going to be honest, I go for 15 min), those studies were conducted on people who trained fasted. So if you pay attention to preworkout nutrition and getting enough protein then, you're good to go.
- Protein is Dangerous for Your Kidneys
There is no research to back this up, and it's often recommended to eat 1-1.5 g protein / lean body weight (although many do suggest less, like .8 g / kg), and people have no problem with this whatsoever. I will say, though, that when you consume a lot of protein, I think it's important to drink a lot of fluids and to get enough of the other macro's, especially fat. The article says, "while eating protein can increase the amount of blood your kidneys filter that doesn’t mean it strains your normal functioning. In fact, studies have proven that eating more than 1 gram per pound of body-weight causes no damage or disruption of normal functioning."
- High Fructose Sugar is Worse Than Regular Sugar
To me, they're both the same, and "(f)rom a chemical structure standpoint, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is nearly identical to table sugar" and there is no difference on hunger, fullness the amount of calories you eat. I stay away from both, but I also never use artificial sweeteners, although I do get some in my protein powder (i.e., I don't get the natural kind) and am fine with that. I also am not used to sweet things, so it's a nonissue. I am fine with just adding cinnamon and other spices. If I were to sweeten something, I would pick honey, a food with health benefits.
*I think livestrong, dailyburn, and all those sites are terrific for finding out nutritional info and tracking and recording cals and macro's, but they are notorously bad for figuring out your caloric needs, no matter how much information they ask you to enter. So don't trust them at all for that. If you really want to figure out your caloric needs, try the Mifflin St Jeor calculation. I also wouldn't pay attention to the calories burned through various exercises.
randi morse, randi.morse@gmail.com, newton, ma
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