diet facts diet myths revealed

You may have seen the recent replacement for the food pyramid. It’s called the ‘food plate’, and supposedly makes it simple for you to understand the ideal breakdown of foods for your health and for weight loss or ideal body fat. My opinion on the plate? It’s rubbish. (Hey, I don’t beat around the bush).

Okay, sure – it would certainly be an improvement on a super processed/nasty fats approach to nutrition but as far as how it impacts the health aware population? As far as how it impacts someone like yourself who is already knowledgeable about nutrition, who already does a lot of things right and who is in better than average shape? Rubbish rubbish rubbish!

Let’s get one thing clear – no matter what shape or catch-phrase they come up with to promote government diet plans, it is an absolute myth that the majority of people can look great and be healthy on a diet low in fat and high in grains and sugars. No matter how natural.

Here are the top 5 FALSE diet facts that just won’t go away – let me know if you’ve been guilty of any of them!

5 Diet Facts Most People Get Wrong

1. Wholegrains are necessary for energy, for health, and for fiber. Well, that’s really 3 so-called diet facts, isn’t it?! Firstly: if you’ve been around my blogs for a while you’ll know that you don’t need carbohydrates as a source of energy. I’m not saying never have ’em. But need? No ma’am. Health: how on earth can health be based on something that needs to be processed in order to be digested? Something that we only have such easy access to because it has been cultivated by man? Fiber: eat. more. veggies. It will certainly be a smarter approach to weight loss as well.

2. If you don’t have a noticeable reaction to gluten then it’s not an issue. The people I consider important and worth listening to on nutrition estimate that 75% PLUS of the Western world are intolerant to gluten. That (probably) means you! It’s a myth that you need to have a reaction such as bloating to be intolerant to gluten, and intolerance also does not mean celiac. Someone suffering celiac disease has a major stomach reaction to gluten, but it could affect you anywhere in your body. Many people notice joint pain and brain fog go away when they cut it out of their diet, and it’s often one of the fastest ways to lose body fat – even if you continue to include other carbohydrates.

3. If it’s natural, it’s fine to eat. Ugh. This is one of my biggest ‘bug bears’ when it comes to nutrition and true foods for body fat loss. The main thing I guess I’m talking about is sugar, and the various forms it appears in within a so-called healthy diet. In no particular order, here are some of the ‘natural’ things that are NOT fine to eat daily if fat loss – and health – is an important outcome of your nutrition plan. One of my main arguments here is that these foods simply wouldn’t appear in nature year-round. Fruits, especially the overly cultivated ones. Dried fruits definitely. Fruit juice (arguably NOT natural anyway, even if freshly squeezed). Agave. Sugar. Grains (whoops, already mentioned, but worth noting here as well!). White potatos. Rice. Corn (a grain anyway). Let me know if I’ve forgotten anything!

4. It’s better to ‘hold out’ until your next meal if you want to lose body fat. We’ve been told over and again that we need to eat regularly to burn body fat and feel great, but there still seems to be this mindset amongst many women that it’s better – or admirable – to hold out for as long as possible. After all, that way you’ll end up eating way less food/calories across the course of the day, right? Well, not only is that probably wrong (mid-afternoon sugar hit anyone?), but failing to eat frequently lets your ‘metabolic furnace’ dwindle and die. It can also make it tough for you to actually get enough protein and other good fuel into your body to ensure cell repair and fat loss through detoxification. If you’d like to lose weight, then depending on your level of activity I’d suggest eating every 2.5-4 hours. Be sure to include protein.

5. You need carbs after training. If you’re a lean athlete then this is true. If your primary focus is increasing strength and muscle and you’re not too phased about losing body fat then this may also be true. But if weight loss is your goal, and particularly if your Biosignature supra-iliac and sub-scapular measurements are high, then carbohyrates after training are not your friend, and you don’t need them. Refuel with a post-workout shake and follow it up with a healthy meal of lean protein, good fats, and some fresh greens.

the paleo plate: diet facts you can trust in

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