When it comes to nutrition, there’s a lot of misinformation floating around.
With so many diet trends and health fads, it’s easy to fall for myths that may actually do more harm than good.
Therefore, I’ve written a blog to bust some common nutrition myths. This is following on from a series I recently wrote on my Ultimate Personal Well-Being Facebook page
1. Nutrition Myths Busted: Eggs cause high cholesterol and therefore cause heart disease.
THE TRUTH: Eggs DO NOT cause high cholesterol and heart disease for most people.
The dietary cholesterol in eggs does not significantly affect our blood cholesterol.
Eggs are extremely nutrient-dense, being rich in amino acids, B vitamins, vitamin A, selenium, and iodine. They are also a great source of protein.
I think you’ll agree this is egg-cellent news!!
2. Nutrition Myths Busted: Breakfast is the Most Important Meal of the Day.
THE TRUTH: No meal is more important than the other.
What you eat is the most important thing. Grabbing a cereal bar as you leave the house isn’t going to make you healthier than if you wait until you get to work and have peanut butter on toast 2 hours later.
A cereal bar will just ‘spike’ your blood sugar meaning you’ll feel hungry 2 hours later anyway.
Aim for foods like porridge, eggs, and natural yogurt for breakfast, and focus on what you eat rather than when you eat it.
3. Nutrition Myths Busted: All Protein Sources are Equal.
THE TRUTH: Plant-based protein sources have a weaker effect on the body as they have a lower content of amino acids and are harder to digest because they have a high fibre content and contain other components that make plant proteins harder to be absorbed and used by the body.
However, you can still get your protein requirements from plant sources by consuming a variety of plant proteins.
Therefore, if you are plant-based you essentially need to be more diligent to meet your protein needs compared to an animal protein consumer.
Animal proteins like meat and eggs are utilised far better by the body for producing muscle, bone, hormones, and neurotransmitters.
4. Nutrition Myths Busted: All Calories are Created Equal.
THE TRUTH: Where your calories come from matters. 300 calories of chicken affects your body differently than 300 calories of chocolate.
For a start protein-rich foods like chicken require more energy to digest and metabolize than chocolate. Simple carbohydrates like chocolate also ‘spike’ your blood sugar high, which releases more of the stress hormone cortisol, which encourages the body to store more fat, especially around the middle.
This spike in blood sugar also leads to hunger later, meaning many people will then consume more calories.
Yes, calories are important for fat loss, and you do need to be in a calorie deficit for this to occur, but you will also get much better results, especially long-term if you take more time to consider what you are eating, not to mention the improved energy, mood and general well-being.
5. Nutrition Myths Busted: Eating 5 or 6 Meals a Day Boosts Metabolism.
THE TRUTH: Meal frequency doesn’t affect metabolism unless you are going over a day without eating.
It’s about overall calorie and nutrient intake.
I’m not saying eating 3 meals a day and a couple of snacks is a bad thing, and it can stop people ‘binging’ on ‘unhealthy options’ if they get hungry. However, it certainly isn’t necessary for fat loss.
In actual fact, some people with digestive problems benefit from larger gaps between meals and allowing something called the migrating motor complex to ‘clean’ the digestive system, often helping improve digestion.
6. Nutrition Myths Busted: Fats Make You Fat.
THE TRUTH: Healthy fats like extra virgin olive oil and avocados support heart health, are fantastic for gut health, and can actually aid weight loss.
This was supported by various scientific reviews.
Read my blog on How to Get the Most Benefit from Olive Oil.High amounts of refined carbohydrates and sugars such as cakes, biscuits, and white bread are more problematic regarding weight gain.
There you have it, these are just some common nutrition myths busted. I will do a further blog in due course on some more nutrition myths, so please keep an eye out on the blog section of the website.
You can also check out various other nutrition-related blogs including The Benefits of Papaya and Does an Apple a Day Really Keep the Doctor Away.
You can also read my blog on tips on How to Eat Healthy on a Budget.
A specialist area of mine is gut health, and with a plethora of gut health supplements available this can also be very confusing, so please feel free to check my blog on Supplements for Gut Health and Leaky Gut Supplements.
Navigating the world of nutrition can be tricky, but separating fact from fiction is crucial for making informed choices.
Always consult a registered nutrition expert before making significant changes to your diet!
As a Nutritional Therapist, I work with clients daily and some of that time is spent dispelling nutrition myths.
If you’d like to work with me I do consultations via Microsoft Teams, therefore you can work with me wherever you are in the world.
I’m also a Sutton Coldfield Personal Trainer Therefore if you are based in the North Birmingham area I’m available for Personal Training at Wyndley Leisure Centre, where no membership is required. I’m also available as a Personal Trainer in Birmingham at The Billiards Building and 10 Brindley Place.
You can also combine Personal Training with Nutritional Therapy to get the best of both worlds and really optimise your health.
