How do we tell nutrition fact from fiction? Ask a Registered Dietitian! I am often asked questions about the newest fad diet and the latest diet pill. The truth is, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Any diet that eliminates entire food groups and any pill that promises instant health or weight loss, is likely going to fall short of its promises in the long-term. According to the American Dietetic Association, fad diets date back as far as 1820, and many of them are just recycled ideas with an updated name. Restrictive dieting also encourages food rules which can often leave people feeling confused about what's truth and what's myth when it comes to the field of nutrition. Here's a look at the top 5 diet myths I hear most often...let's uncover the truth!
- Carbs cause weight gain. FALSE. Consuming more calories than your body needs (whether from carbohydrates, fats, proteins or alcohol) and not burning off that extra energy through daily activity can cause weight gain.
- Do not eat after 7:00 pm. FALSE. The truth is, most nights I get home at 7:00 pm, so if I followed this rule, I'd never be eating dinner! Food does not know time, and your metabolism does not turn off at a certain hour. Yes, it may slow while we sleep, but that does not mean that eating a small snack before bed if you are truly hungry will cause you to wake up a pound or two heavier. This food rule is just not true. What is true is that most people, especially those trying to lose weight, will not eat enough food during the day to properly fuel their bodies and brains. The end result is overeating in the evening hours, and/or eating in response to emotional stressors.
- Always choose low-fat or fat-free foods to be the healthiest. FALSE. Remember the age of the SnackWell's, rice cakes and everything fat-free?? It did not work! Fat helps with fullness, so with the fat-free craze we just developed a notion of "eat as much as you want as long as it's fat-free." We never learned how to taste and enjoy our food, we never learned balance and variety, and we never learned what portions of food will leave our stomachs feeling satisfied.
- Bulk up on the protein to gain muscle. FALSE. To build muscle, you need to exercise and the great trainers at South Beach Fitness can help you with that. Once you are exercising, you may need more calories and if you want to gain muscle then you need to eat more protein AND more carbohydrate. The perfect time to refuel after a workout is within 30 minutes, and most people need at least 10 grams of protein and 30 grams of carbohydrate to repair and help build new muscle tissue.
- Fad diets work. TRUE FOR THE SHORT TERM BUT FALSE FOR THE LONG-TERM. (I confused you on that one, didn't I?) Most fad diets do work initially because people change their eating habits and follow food rules that lead to them consuming fewer calories. However, most fad diets are just unrealistic and unhealthy to follow for a lifetime of eating. It's time to forget the annoying food rules that are backed by little or no scientific research, since most of us just want to rebel against them anyhow. What happens when you are told you can't eat something? You crave it more!
To learn more about how to stop dieting and how to work on developing a long-term healthy relationship with food, attend our FREE nutrition seminar on April 16th at 10:45 am.
This post was written by Kristine Van Workum, Registered Dietitian and owner of Brevard Nutrition, Inc. Kristine provides outpatient nutrition counseling for groups and individuals to help manage a wide variety of medical conditions. She specializes in the treatment of eating disorders, weight management and sports nutrition. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 321-327-7948, or visit her website.
