If you’re after a blogger who says it like it is and isn’t afraid to ruffle a few feathers going against the grain, then look no further than Claire from the blog Claire by Reverie. I have personally been reading Claire’s for a while now. She previously, went under the guise of Volta Fitness and Music and everything, but now she has consolidated her blogs into Claire by Reverie, which she describes as a beauty blog with something more.
For today’s post, Claire has touched on something that both she and I are passionate about. Busting nutrition myths. No I have not suddenly turned into a nutrition guru, I mean one quick look at me will attest to that, but Far too often we see people give out diet advice that promises to shift the pounds fast and far too often the advice that is being given misses the mark!!! Claire does however have a background in nutrition and personal fitness, so we can rest assured that her advice is exactly what we need to hear. Check out Claire’s post below busting 5 nutrition myths.
Don’t forget to follow Claire on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram . You can also check out her blog here.
The Internet is full of information: Some of it factual and helpful, some of it false and potentially damaging. This is particularly true in the world of nutrition, where there are countless fad diets, some bordering on starvation and businesses looking to make money off people’s vulnerability. While I was blogging about fitness and nutrition, I came across some real doozies.
There is so much misinformation out there and some of it could cause long term problems such as hormone imbalances, digestive problems, metabolic issues and so on. The only way to stop this from happening is learning the truth about nutrition, and by being sceptical of diet products like teas, tablets and shakes.
To help, I’ve pin-pointed some of the most common nutrition myths that I hope you will remain aware of going forward.
1 Fats are the bad guys
Thankfully the media is reporting on scientific studies that dispel this myth, however it is still a common thought that if you want to lose weight and be healthy, you have to avoid fatty foods. For decades doctors have told us to avoid fats: they are bad for our hair, skin, heart, everything. This isn’t entirely true. There are plenty of health benefits in consuming unsaturated fats, such as improved muscle function and join health.
While we’re on the subject “Fat Free” foods, like yogurt for example, should be avoided. The fat has been artificially removed and replaced with something unnatural that your body could do without.
2 Carbs Before Exercise
Carbs before exercise is only really applicable to people taking part in endurance activities, like football, hiking, marathons and so on. It’s not relevant in regular exercise, particularly if you are trying to lost body fat.
If you are looking to lose some body fat and gain a little lean muscle, eating a plate of pasta before you hit your spin class isn’t going to do you much good. All you are going to do is burn the glycogen from the pasta, rather than your body fat. So instead, about an hour before your exercise sesh, have a protein rich meal and follow your training with a carb enriched meal with plenty of protein on the side, like brown rice and chicken stir fry.
3 Diet Drinks are better
I’ll hold my hands up, I am a sucker for Diet Coke. Oh boy, do I like the taste of those chemicals. I really do. It’s a sickness. I know that it’s no healthier than “full fat” coke, however.
The fact is, and let no weight loss group leader tell you otherwise, the artificial sweeteners in diet drinks react in much the same way as the sugar in a non-diet drink. In fact, I’d go so far as to say it’s worse. Your hormone system thinks that your stomach has consumed sugar, and our body starts to act like it has, trying to break down sugar molecules that aren’t there. This can make you more bloated than a regular fizzy drink, and it can cause long term digestive issues. As well as that, it can actually make you hungrier because your body is under the illusion that it has consumed calories, so it makes you crave more sugar and carbs. Boom.
4 Coffee is bad for weight loss
You hear people saying they are going decaff, giving up coffee and tea all together, because they are trying to be healthy or they want to *heaves* “detox” – just no. Coffee is actually good for you, so long as it’s not overconsumed.
There have been so many scientific studies on how the body reacts to caffeine that the health benefits pretty much conclusive. It improves your mood, reduces the risk of liver disease and type two diabetes. There is even a Harvard study which suggests decaffeinated teas and coffees increase the risk of liver disease and type 2 diabetes. So there.
That being said, it must also be noted that it’s not advisable to drink more than three cups of caffeinated beverages a day.
5 Low Carb Diets Aren’t Sustainable
Diets aren’t sustainable, so there is one part of that sentence that is absolutely correct. Most people who eat low carb long term wouldn’t describe themselves as being on a diet. You will notice that there are plenty of people eating this way as part of a healthy lifestyle, not a crash diet.
A “Low carb” lifestyle, actually consists of plenty of carbs in the form of fruit and vegetables, but heavier, starchy carbs, like bread, rice and pasta, are minimised and typically only consumed after exercise. Extreme diets like Atkins or the Dukan Diet shun all forms of carbohydrate intake for a period of time, but these are not sustainable. They are restrictive and potentially harmful. A lifestyle in which you consume lesser amounts of starchy carbs and greater amounts of simple carbs is incredibly sustainable and quite enjoyable. Eating this way may not be for everyone, but that doesn’t mean it’s not generally sustainable.
Any surprises there? What’s the worst nutrition myth you’ve ever heard?
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