10 Most Common Myths About Diet & Nutrition

With so many fad diets and marketing gimmicks out there nowadays, it’s difficult to sort through what’s really true about nutrition and what’s more of a hoax.  The top ten most common myths include everything from what your clients should be eating, what form they should be eating it in and when they should be eating it.  This article will sort through the fact and fiction of nutrition so your client can truly begin a diet plan that is healthful and truthful.

We will begin with what your clients should, or shouldn’t be eating.

1.  Lately, everything out there seems to boast a “trans fat free” label, making one think the food is healthy.  This is a marketing gimmick, as these foods can say they’re “trans fat free” as long as they contain less than 0.5g per serving.  Thus, your client should check the ingredients list to see if there’s ‘partially hydrogenated oil’, meaning that the food still contains small amounts of trans fats and should be avoided.

2.  There is also a certain stigma out there that carbs are bad for you.  Carbs are ones body’s primary source of fuel!  Though of course excess carbohydrate, just like any macronutrient will eventually be stored as fat if you’re taking in more than you’re burning, carbs are the last thing your clients should be avoiding, especially if they’re exercising consistently.

3.  Another common myth is to cut out food groups in order to lose weight, such as adopting a ‘fat-free’ diet thinking this will decrease the fat on ones body.  In reality, this only makes the body cling more to the fat stores it already has.  With so much advertising out there advocating non-fat or low-fat foods, it’s easy to see why people would think low or non-fat is good for them.  However fat is an essential part of any diet in moderation.  Mono and polyunsaturated fatty acids contain essential fatty acids like omega-3 and omega-6 that the body cannot produce on its own and your clients must obtain from their diet.

Next is what form your clients should be consuming their calories or other aspects of nutrition in.

4.  Though protein is an absolutely essential part of any diet, protein bars are a common myth with people thinking they are all good for them.  Though they may contain a lot of protein, most brands also come along with high amounts of sugar and saturated fat in order to make them taste appealing.  Not all protein bars are created equal, and it’s critical for your clients to check the nutrition label in order to see the proportion of calories from the unhealthy types of fat and sugar content.  

5.  Along these lines is another myth, that all protein powders are basically the same or that one is better than the other.  In reality casein and whey protein are best consumed together, since whey is a fast digesting protein that rapidly increases protein synthesis and casein is a slow digesting protein that blocks protein breakdown.  

6.  Supplements are another point of contention as the science on multivitamins is inconclusive.  Taking supplements to get adequate nutrition seems to be a growing fad.  However, besides folic acid for childbearing women or omega-3 fish oil which we touched on before, your clients should be getting their micronutrients from real food as ones body processes these differently than those from supplements.

Lastly is when your clients should be eating food.

7.  Many people think that eating food later at night is more likely to turn into fat.  In reality though, weight gain or loss is simply a numbers game; if you eat more than you expend, you will gain weight regardless of when you are eating your food.  The bottom line is not when your client eats, but what and how much.  

8.  The next myth is that you can truly change your basal or resting metabolic rate by keeping your metabolic ‘fire’ burning thanks to eating small amounts of food throughout the day.  In reality though, this has a minute effect on excess calories burned as opposed to aiding your clients in changing their body composition.  Thus, as a trainer, you should focus your workouts on replacing fat with lean muscle mass which burns far more calories on its own than adding a lot of snacks throughout the day, which can actually unintentionally put the client into the excess calorie zone.  

9.  The next myth is to have your client workout right after eating in order to fuel their workout.  In reality, a person should wait about three hours after a full meal to start a strenuous workout because this is about how long it takes for macronutrients to move into the small intestines where nutrient absorption occurs and energy become available.  

10.  Lastly, many people believe that exercise curbs appetite.  However, appetite regulation is a very complex process involving psychology and hormones including insulin.  Though a person may feel less hungry directly after working out, it normalizes and is made up for later in the day.

Understanding these myths and the reasoning and solutions to them is a key aspect in enhancing your clients’ lifestyle regimen.  Nutrition is a huge component to any fitness routine and understanding what you’re clients are putting into their body, when and why, is a vital component to whatever your fitness goals with them are.  No matter how much one works out, it’s impossible to work off a poor diet and uncovering these myths is critical to gaining the knowledge necessary to teach your clients effective lifestyle practices.

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