7 Popular Diet Myths Exposed

7 Popular Diet Myths Exposed

Everyone wants to lose weight and look slim for summer. If you don’t have weight to lose, no worries! You will still find many savoury tidbits that you can chew on, as a healthy body and healthy weight tend to go hand-in-hand.

1.    Skipping meals is a good way to lose weight.

ABSOLUTELY FALSE!  Skipping meals tells your body that there is a famine and to hold onto all the fat it can (through different hormonal signals).  Most often, it just results in the eating of more calories at the next meal.  The worst meal to skip is breakfast as this is the meal that gets your metabolism going for the day.

2.    It doesn’t matter what I eat on a diet as long as I eat less calories.

This is partially true BUT how you feel while losing the weight is greatly determined by what you are eating.  If your diet consists of large amounts of processed carbohydrates that cause spikes in your blood sugar, you will feel hungry all the time.   If your diet is not nutritionally balanced with adequate numbers of vitamins and minerals, you will feel tired all the time.

3.    Crash dieting or fasting helps you lose weight.

In the short term you can lose weight, but in the long run both of these cause the loss of muscle as well as fat.   How much muscle you have determines your basal metabolic rate (how many calories your body burns at rest).  The loss of muscle lowers this rate and your body needs fewer calories than it did before you began the diet.  This is why women often gain back more weight after a “quick loss” diet than they had before they started.

4.    The less fat you eat, the better.

Your body needs healthy proteins, carbohydrates AND fats for optimal health.  Healthy fats such as those found in nuts, seeds, avocado, olives, fatty fish and healthy oils such as flax seed oil are essential for absorption of fat soluble vitamins and production of hormones in the body.  They are also necessary for healthy skin and joints and help you feel full for longer after a meal.

5.    High protein/low-carbohydrate diets are a healthy way to lose weight.

This is not a balanced eating plan.  High protein diets put your body into ketosis and put extra stress on your kidneys and liver.   You also may not be getting enough fruits and vegetables, resulting in a diet that is nutritionally poor as well as lacking in fiber.  Most often, you end up constipated from the lack of fiber and tired and worn down from the poor nutrition.

6.    Low fat or no fat means there are fewer calories

Not always.  Read the label.  In fact, most low fat or no fat foods have higher amounts of sugar and starches which not only add calories but these foods spike your blood sugar and make you feel hungry soon after eating.

7.    Fast food is always bad for you.

Actually, this is most often true.  However, there are healthy alternatives that are fast, easy and healthy for you.  We all have busy lives and it is not always possible to cook three meals and two snacks every day from scratch.   If you’d like to know more about healthy “fast food” alternatives, contact me for more information.