This is the first part of a short series collecting together nutrition myths that we’ve seen doing the rounds this year along with a brief explanation of why they’re nonsense (and what you can do instead).
It’s a shame that the media perpetuates these myths and makes it hard for people to know what is actually going to help them, but that’s where we come in!
So without further ado, let’s launch into this list of nonsense:
Meat is bad for you
Putting a blanket statement like this out is almost certainly guaranteed to be wrong, but it sells books and magazines! A statement like this confuses people because it doesn’t take into account meat quality or the level of processing that has gone on. Are you seriously trying to convince anyone that an organic, grass fed sirloin steak is the same nutritionally as a couple of cheap sausages that contain around 40% pork?
Fruit makes you fat
Over-eating anything can lead to weight gain, but it’s seriously unlikely that you’ll manage it with fruits (or vegetables) due to them being full of water and fibre as well as being packed with vitamins and minerals. In fact, the chances are that you don’t eat enough (or a wide enough variety of) fruit – so aim to get fruits and vegetables with every meal!
Carbs make you fat
Carbs are the current villain in the diet world (fat got targeted a few years ago, but then made a resurgence with the widespread promotion of keto), but that doesn’t mean carbs are bad for you. Your brain runs on carbs. Intense exercise is fuelled almost exclusively by carbs. The myth of carbs causing weight gain is tied to the fact that when you eat carbs you release insulin and that causes proteins, fats and carbs to be stored. The media portrayal of science then gets out of hand and people are now scared of oats and rice. A bit like the fruit myth – overeating anything relative to your energy expenditure will make you fat. So match your input with your output and you’ll be fine!