Top 5: Worst Nutritional Advice I’ve Heard

Have you ever went online to look for nutrition advice? Have you ever read magazines with really fit people that tell you the tricks to lose 20lbs right now? These sources can be really frustrating because they are offering a quick solution to a long term problem. Here are the top 5 things we hear in nutrition that aren’t always great advice and what we recommend to do about them instead.

1. You have to go all in and change everything right now or you’ll never be successful.

Even though we do think being dedicated is very important to success, it can be overwhelming to change everything at once. Instead we believe in changing one simple habit at a time. Pick your biggest glaring issue and work on that task in small chunks over a 2-3 week period. Slowly getting better at it each day.

EXAMPLE: If you are horrible at drinking water. First find out how much water you need to drink in a day (half your bodyweight in ounces). Then find a water bottle and figure out how many water bottles you need to drink each day to get you to that goal. Each day check-off if you did that task and over 2-3 weeks it’ll become a habit. Then you build on each little habit for 2-3 weeks and after a few months you’ll have an amazing foundation of nutrition to help change the way you eat.

2. Don’t eat fruits, there is too much sugar in them.

Even though there is sugar in fruit, it is most likely not the reason you are not losing weight. If you are consistently eating candies, white breads, pastas, drinking soda, etc., then there are probably bigger glaring needs. We should start to eliminate those things before we ever look at fruit. For the majority of people, you’ll never have to eliminate fruit unless you are looking to get crazy lean for a photoshoot or competition.

3. Moderation is the key

Moderation is very important when you reach your goal but doesn’t help out as you are chasing your goal. If you are trying to lose 20lbs and you are having a chocolate bar or a glass a wine everyday then you probably don’t want to lose that 20lbs that bad. When you reach your 20lbs lost, then you can add in a small piece of chocolate each night or a glass of wine if you would like.

4. Fat makes you fat

This couldn’t be farther from the truth. Fat is essential in your nutrition to be able to keep you full, build up your nails, hair, skin, and many other basic needs. Fat also has a high concentration of energy, so when you are low on carbs your body can burn fat to make up for its lack of energy. Fat soluble vitamins (A,D,E,K) need healthy fats to be absorbed. There is a difference between an avocado and McDonald fries however!

5. All Calories Are Equal

In the simplest of terms, yes. But really nutrition is too complex for simple terms. A 100 calorie candy bar is not the same as a 100 calorie apple. The chocolate has little to no nutritional benefits but raises our insulin levels. The apple has fiber which reduced hunger, loaded with nutrients, and keeps insulin relatively steady. A person who ate a diet of 2000 calories of candy and simple carbs would physically look a lot different than a person who ate a diet of 2000 calories of fruits, vegetables, and meats.

When it comes to nutrition, most will always lean towards the “easy” way to do things. But if there was an easy way to do it, then no one would have a weight issues. Nutrition isn’t easy because it takes discipline. People definitely over complicate it, thinking it’s more complex than it really is. It really comes down to a simple formula, “eat real foods, mostly meat, not too much”. Follow that and you’ll do great!