Diet Myths

When it comes to overall health and weight loss, there’s an excess of advice out there. However, much of it is outdated and scientifically disproven. This poor advice can create weight loss roadblocks and even damage your health.
Dr. Mark Hyman of the Cleveland Institute says there are four popular ideas that are actually myths that can halt your progress or even make you sick.
Myth #1 – All Calories are Created Equal. The current thinking is as long as we burn more calories than we consume, we will lose weight. The food industry and government agencies love this myth because it keeps you buying more junk food, which they suggest you eat in moderation. How’s that working out for America? Truth is, when we eat, our food interacts with our biology, a complex adaptive system that instantly transforms every bite. Every bite you eat affects your hormones, brain chemistry and metabolism. Sugar calories cause fat storage and spike hunger. Calories from fat and protein promote fat burning. What counts more is the quality, not the quantity, of the calories.
Myth #2 – Your Genetics Define You and Your Health. Most conventional doctors still believe we are predispositioned to weight gain due to familial history. In other words, if your mom is fat and your grandma is fat, that’s why you became fat. But consider this: There are 32 obesity-associated genes in the general population that account for only 9 percent of obesity cases. Even if you had all 32 obesity genes, you would put on only about 22 pounds.
Myth #3 – You Can Out-Exercise a Bad Diet. Put this into perspective: If you drink just one 20-ounce soda, you’ll have to walk four-and-a-half miles to burn it off. If you consume one super-sized fast-food meal, you’ll have to run four miles a day for one whole week to burn it off. If you eat that every day, you have to run a marathon every single day to burn it off. Yes, exercise is extremely important, but to lose weight and keep it off you need to couple exercise with a healthy diet filled with plenty of plant foods, healthy fats and protein.
Myth #4 – Fat Makes You Fat. Studies comparing a high-fat diet that is identical in calorie count to a high-sugar diet had totally different effects on metabolism. The higher-fat diet caused people to burn an extra 300 calories a day. That’s the equivalent of running for an hour without doing any exercise. Dietary fat actually speeds up your metabolism, while sugar slows it down. Yes, stay away from trans fats, but good fats like extra-virgin olive oil, coconut butter, avocado, nuts, seeds and nut butters keep us full and lubricate the wheels of our metabolism.
Keep these tips in mind when you’re working on your nutrition this week! If you’d like some pointers on food choices and fitness options, that’s why I became a nutritionist and health coach – so I can help people make healthy changes that will improve their quality of life for years to come! Contact me if you’re interested in making better choices so you can WIN AT LOSING… AT WORK!

– Wendy Corr, Certified Holistic Nutritionist