TOP 10 nutrition myths

DEBUNKED PART 1

1- Carbs are bad.

“Carbs are the only non-essential macronutrient.” False. Alcohol is a macronutrient (it provides 7-calories per gram) and it's not essential, BUT this argument amongst anti-carb zealots lacks because there are a lot of things that are not essential. Having two eyes, two kidneys', lungs – these are not essential for life. It is HIGHLY preferred to have both, but we do not need them to live. Carbs are not bad. A lot of the American diet comes from calorically dense highly processed carbs i.e. chips, sweets, breads, and pasta. The average American could be more mindful of the carbohydrate sources that they consume, but anyone who classifies an entire group of food as BAD, is someone to steer clear of.

2- Too much protein is bad.

If you have renal issues, too much protein may be detrimental. Do you have kidney issues? If you do, you're in good hands because your RD and physician are taking good care of you. There are terrible instances when people die from consuming too much protein HERE, but as peanuts are only bad for people who have an allergy, the majority of us should not fear consuming 1.7g/kg – 2.2g/kg (.8 – 1.0g per body weight).

3- Shouldn't eat past 7pm.

You will not turn into a gremlin if you eat past 7pm. When was the last time you were alone or blacked out drunk and you consumed 1,000 calories of broccoli? Apples? I'd be willing to bet my belt buckle you haven't. In these scenarios, we typically gorge ourselves with pie, ice cream, cake and other calorically dense foods. Consuming carbs before bed can help optimize deep REM sleep. Protein digestion increases DIT (Diet-induced thermogenesis) or TEF (Thermal Effect of Food) so your body temperature may be slightly elevated if you eat a T-bone steak 60-minutes prior to bed, so try to keep it carb friendly.

4- Fasting is king!

The average American HUNK make consumes 2,400 calories. The average American Hunkette consumes 1,850. We've been taught to have breakfast, snack, lunch, snack and then dinner. Intermittent fasting typically has people not consuming any food for a 16-hour window (water, tea and coffee are ok). Let's take these average calories and divide them up:

Hunks – 600 calorie meals; 400 calorie snacks

Hunkettes – 400 calorie meals; 325 calorie snacks

If we have people go from 3-meals and 2-snacks to 1-meal and 1-snack, WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL HAPPEN? We've created a calorie deficit. A calorie deficit is the only way to lose fat. More on this in a later blog.

If you want to try fasting, give it a shot! I love fasting for the mental component – it teaches us the difference between physiological and psychological hunger. If you've never fasted for 24-hours, I challenge you to give it a try!

One thing to note about fasting, for an organism to consume less, it has a greater chance of living longer. Compare this to driving a car. The car that drives more, will have more wear and tear. This doesn't mean that if you fast you will live longer. There are numerous other factors to consider such as activity, sleep, stress, genetics etc. Learn all of this and more during the Show Up Fitness Nutrition Coach program to understand the Body Mass Equation.

5- Healthy, clean, bad, cheat meal – food vocabulary. If we are going to make a change to the American waistline, it begins by educating the masses. Scaring people into thinking certain foods are BAD and others are HEALTHY is exactly what we SHOULDN'T do. If you eat fast food, you are not a fat pile of shit or a bad person. You probably consumed a meal that was very calorically dense and not aligned with your goals. Can you eat fast food and be healthy? IT DEPENDS. How many times are we eating out? How is our sleep? How are we managing are stress?

Do you know who this is?

Jeanne Calment ate chocolate cake and smoked cigarettes into his mid 100's. She is the oldest living person documented on this amazing planet. How is that possible? According to nutritionists and anti-carb charlatans, she should be in hell because she broke the carb commandments!

Jeanne didn't work, she married rich – that's one smart hunkette! Imagine how much easier your life would be if you didn't stress?

Want to become a nutrition coach? SHOW UP FITNESS NC is the best online nutrition program with an rd

Instead of following blindly, take the time to invest into learning the fundamentals of nutrition and biochemistry. That's what we teach at Show Up Fitness to become a nutrition coach. SUF-NC is a an 8-week online program working with a registered dietitian's learning everything you need to know to help your clients with nutrition. Classes are Tuesday at 9am & Thursday 11am pst LIVE and recorded placed on-demand within our app. You will learn everything about weight loss, body recomposition, hypertrophy, endurance training, macronutrient calculations, screening for disordered eating and debunking nutrition myths like the ones in this blog. You will be paired up with other students dissecting weekly case examples optimizing your leadership skills. We guarantee you'll learn more in this 2-month nutrition program than any online nutrition program like Precision Nutrition or NASM – CNC.

Meanie Sulaver SUF TEAM RD – Industry leader in women's health and performance nutrition.

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