Fitness is not about breaking your back in the gym. The 80:20 rule emphasizes the importance of nutrition compared to working out. Yes, working out is important to get fit, but what is even more important is nutrition. Personal fitness trainers have heard all kinds of myths about food, and we at Paragon Body want to debunk these myths.
There is a plethora of information about nutrition on social media that can leave you confused. Every season, a new diet is trending. There are testimonials from influencers about how they have lost weight on new fad diets. Some videos are testaments to their claims. But are we really going to believe everything we see on social media?
Personal fitness trainers spend more time debunking bad diet advice and stressing the importance of a balanced diet. Some foods get a bad rap while others are oversold.
In this blog, we will address the worst of nutrition myths and share what actually works.
Carbs Are Evil (Said No Science Ever)
Carbs have been villainized for a while now. Every weight issue has been traced back to carbs. People tend to clump all carbs together and avoid them altogether. We tend to overlook the fact that carbohydrates are essential for energy (especially for people who train regularly).
There are two types of carbohydrates: complex and simple. Complex carbs such as whole grains, sweet potatoes, and legumes provide essential nutrients and sustained energy release. They are nutrient-dense and also great for post-workout recovery. Simple carbs are found in fruits and white rice. They replenish glycogen stores and are useful after intense workouts to aid in recovery.
Complex carbohydrates should be taken pre-workout to ensure a sustained energy supply for your training session. Incorporate simple carbs in your post-workout meal to kick-start the recovery process. Whole grains, fruits, and veggies should be part of your daily diet for consistent energy and muscle growth. The only carbs that you must avoid are the ultra-processed ones.
You Need to Eat Like a Rabbit to Get Fit
People trying to lose weight usually resort to eating less. Eating less or starving yourself is not the solution for weight loss. Your body needs a fixed number of calories per day to function efficiently. If you are working out, then your body needs a little more than normal. Starving yourself can slow your metabolism and lower your energy levels. Personal fitness trainers will tell you that starving will sabotage your workouts and not deliver the results.
If you are training, the focus should be on eating enough calories to perform well in the gym. The calorie intake for someone who exercises depends on factors like their age, sex, height, weight, and activity level. It generally ranges between 2000-3000 calories for males and 1600-2400 calories for females.
Personal fitness trainers will advise you to eat balanced meals. The focus should be on portion control and eliminating foods.
Protein Shakes = Instant Muscles
There’s this myth that chugging protein shakes will help you build your body. People are rushing to stock up on whey protein and vegan protein powders. But always remember that no supplement can replace natural, real food. Read that again.
Did you know that excessive protein intake can actually backfire? You can have digestion issues and notice weight gain. Yes, protein is indeed required for muscle growth, so the importance of protein in your diet cannot be discounted.
The amount of protein required can be calculated based on body weight and activity level. Stick to the recommended grams of protein and focus on wholesome food for faster gains.
Fat Will Make You Fat (And Other Lies From 1995)
Fats have always been avoided like the plague. People believe that eating fats will amplify weight gain. Dietary fat has been regarded as the enemy. Studies have shown that healthy fats are essential for brain function and hormones. They are also important for nutrient absorption. Fats also aid in muscle recovery and provide a source of energy.
The only type of fats that have to be avoided are trans fats. They are byproducts of hydrogenation, a process used to turn healthy oils into solids, thereby preventing them from becoming rancid. They have no known health benefits.
Healthy fats are found in vegetables, nuts, seeds, and fish. There are two categories of beneficial fats: monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Healthy fats are liquid at room temperature. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are essential in your diet.
If It Says ‘Clean Eating’, It Must Be Holy
Sometimes, clean eating can become an obsession. People become so obsessed that they eat only healthy foods and avoid many foods that give us pleasure. Orthorexia is the term that describes an obsession with eating healthy foods. A person with orthorexia is fixated with the quality rather than the quantity to an excessive degree.
The problem becomes food moralization. Foods become categorized into good and bad. This strict fixation can impact your sanity. It is better to have flexible eating habits. Flexible eating habits that are balanced and consistent. It is always better to aim for consistency and not perfection.
Detox Teas and Juice Cleanses: The Flat Tummy Fairy Tales
If not a six-pack, a flat tummy is everyone’s dream. Most of us know that abs are made in the kitchen and not in the gym. We see many marketing gimmicks and celebrity-endorsed campaigns promoting detox teas and juice cleanses. They claim to detox your body and cleanse your system. Let’s get one thing straight here- your liver and kidneys are the organs that detox your body, and they do so every day.
Juice cleanses can lead to blood sugar crashes and muscle loss. When you deprive yourself of healthy food, you can go on hangry rampages.
The right way to detox and cleanse your system is to drink lots of water and eat fiber-rich foods. Let the body do its job of cleansing and detoxing.
Snacking After 8 PM Summons the Fat Gods
This myth probably originates from the fact that late-night snacking often involves high-calorie snacks. Snacking can be mindless and lead to a calorie binge. Timing is really not the problem. The timing can affect sleep and performance, not weight gain. Personal fitness trainers will tell you that what keeps a person healthy is the balance between total calories ingested and total calories expended. That is the total number of calories that you put into your body and the total number of calories that you burn per day.
So, what do you do if you feel hungry at night? Just eat! You have to be smart about the choice of your snacks. Try snacking on foods that are rich in protein and fiber.
Who Needs Real Food When You Have Supplements?
There are many supplements promoted in the market claiming to be essential. Multivitamins, BCAAs, fat burners, collagen, and whatnot. Most people don’t need half of them. Personal fitness trainers hate people wasting money on flashy powders instead of investing in whole foods.
Focus on the essentials such as creatine, protein, and vitamin D.
What’s Really Important
Your diet has to include all the essential ingredients in balanced proportions. Do not fall for gimmicks that promise magical results. There is no compulsion to restrict your diet and abandon your favorite foods in your fitness journey. See trends for what they are and do not follow them blindly.
Personal fitness trainers will tell you that a balanced, consistent, science-based approach to nutrition should be your mantra. Depriving yourself of the good things in life will not make your fitness journey a pleasurable one. So, keep your sense of humor intact and get real about your food!