The world of nutrition is a funny old place.
Each day we’re bombarded with what’s healthy, what’s not, what makes you fat, what rots your gut, why living by breathing alone is all you need (yes, really – look up the term Breatharian).
Then there’s the diet zealots perpetrating things like the Carnivore diet, the Keto diet, Atkin’s and the no fruit or veg diet – it’s their way or the highway, or at least that’s what their cult-like ethos would have you believe.
What’s worse is that these ideologies aren’t just pushed by TikTokers and Instagrammers – they’re everywhere in mainstream media too. You only need to turn on the TV, read a magazine or open up the newspaper to be faced with a whole host of contrary nutritional “facts”:
· Eating a diet high in protein causes kidney disease
· Eating fat makes you fat
· Carbs are evil
· Sugar is just empty calories and shouldn’t be in your diet AT ALL
Meanwhile, most of us are simply just trying to make healthy choices (most of the time) and with so much misinformation flying about, is it any wonder we can end up in a muddle?
That’s why we’re here to blow these myths out of the water MuscleFoodies so you can live happy, healthy and enjoy your grub guilt free!
1. Eating protein will cause kidney failure
We’re starting off with a bang folks and talking about our favourite macro – Protein.
According to some internet peeps (dieticians included) eating a diet that’s high in protein can cause osteoporosis and kidney disease. The reason for this comes from the fact that eating protein increases the excretion of calcium from the bones.
But here’s the kicker – it only happens only in the short term!
Long term, many studies show that a high protein diet has the opposite effect, and improvements are seen in bone health and a lowered risk of fractures.
And as for Kidney disease, well, there’s no respected study that “proves” an association of a high protein diet and kidney disease in healthy people.
However, eating a high protein diet can actually help the prevention of diabetes and high blood pressure, which are two of the main risk factors for kidney failure.
In short, eating a high protein diet may protect you against osteoporosis and kidney failure.
2. Low-fat foods are good for you
Let's just start by saying that not all low-fat foods are the enemy.
But quite a few are likely to come with a whole bunch of nasty stuff added that you certainly don’t want to be piling into your body.
When you take a product that is high in fat and remove it, you’re usually left with something that resembles the taste of cardboard. Food manufactures then need to add something else to improve the overall flavour.
What do they add? Normally a mixture of refined sugar and high fructose corn syrup or heaps of artificial sweeteners and flavourings that you don’t really need (or want) to be ingesting a lot of.
Sadly, it’s often healthy natural fat that is removed and replaced with substances that are far worse for you. Don’t be fooled by low-fat claims... turn over the pack and check out the ingredients list!
3. Eggs are bad for you
Eggs have been demonised for centuries now because they contain cholesterol which has considered bad due to its relationship with heart disease.
However, modern research has proven that the cholesterol found in eggs doesn’t raise cholesterol in the blood but rather raises good cholesterol which is not associated with the increased risk of heart disease.
Motto of the day – an egg a day will keep you happay…
4. Saturated fat is bad for you
Decades ago a bunch of highly flawed studies and politicians decided that the heart disease epidemic was the fault of fat in our diets, in particular saturated fat.
This myth seems to have stuck around despite the evidence of new studies showing no association with saturated fat and heart disease whatsoever!
In fact, saturated fat from natural sources like coconut oil, red meat and dairy can increase HDL cholesterol (the good kind) and help make LDL cholesterol (the bad kind) less damaging.
5. Meat rots in your gut
Sigh… really? Do we have to address this one…
This statement is entirely false. Meat does not rot in your gut. It just doesn’t.
We’ve been eating meat since the dawn of time, and our bodies are well equipped to digest and absorb all the beneficial nutrients found in meat. We are, by nature, omnivores.
The proteins and fats found in meat are broken down by powerful stomach acids and digestive enzymes in the small intestines.
Then they’re absorbed by the body and by the time that’s all finished there’s simply nothing left to ‘rot’ in your gut! So you go on ahead and enjoy that slab of steak guilt free my friend.
6. Eating loads of small meals through the day is better
This myth is often associated with the promise of an increased metabolism and more weight loss. The reality is that whilst the metabolism is slightly increased when we eat, it’s the total amount of food we eat in any one day that determines our weight and not how many meals we eat!
Studies have been done to test this and have shown on numerous occasions that there is no real difference between eating 6 small meals or 3 larger meals. In fact, being in a fasted state from time to time can be good for us.
That said, it all comes down to personal tastes. Some people prefer to eat little and often which is fine, but so is eating 3 big meals and not snacking – it really doesn’t make a difference so long as you’re enjoying a balanced diet of protein, carbs and fats.
7. Carbs make you fat
No.
Just no.
Carbs do not make you gain weight. Period. Rather they are your body’s preferred energy source, and we need them to perform basically every single bodily function there is.
Why people think they make you fat is carb sources tend to be quite calorific, so it’s easy to ingest MORE calories than you “need” which can then lead to weight gain.
That doesn’t mean you have to restrict them, just choose your carb sources wisely especially if you’re trying to lose weight – simple swaps like sweet potato for white potato, rice for pasta and adding more whole grains into your diet will help keep your calories in check.
And finally
The greatest advice we can give when talking about what, and indeed what not to eat, is to go with your gut – LOLs – no but seriously, take everything you read, hear or receive via carrier pigeon with a grain of salt (which also isn’t bad for you).
The general rule of thumb is this; all food is to be enjoyed and serves a purpose in your quest for a healthy lifestyle, the trick to making it work FOR you is moderation.
Too much of anything can be bad for you but cutting out entire foods – unless you’re a vegan or have a medical reason to eliminate certain food groups – is unnecessary and dogmatic.
At the end of the day, the only person that knows your body is you, so experiment, find what works, and stick to it.
