The modern age seems to be a sort of a mixed blessing. On the one hand, we have access to a ton of information about exercise, nutrition, and healthy living, but on the other hand, a large part of that information is either misleading or outright false. So, how do we find out what the real facts are? How do we learn all the right tips and tricks to stay healthy? Well, if you want help breaking some of the most common nutrition myths around, read on.
You must always eat a big breakfast
Everyone and their mother knows that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and if you really want to be healthy, you always need to eat a hearty meal in the morning, right? Not exactly. While eating well in the morning can help you have more energy through the day and curb some cravings, the emphasis here is on “well.” Your breakfast doesn’t need to be big at all, and you definitely shouldn’t force yourself to eat a lot of food if you don’t feel like it. Sugary cereal, pastries, and white toast with jam are some of the most common breakfast foods, but they’re actually only likely to give us a temporary boost and then make us crash and feel exhausted only a few hours later. Instead of a “big” breakfast full of carbs, focus instead of protein. Boiled eggs and yoghurt are a great choice, for example, or perhaps a quick protein shake to help you kickstart the day.
Skinny equals healthy
Ugh, no. This is one of the biggest misconceptions around that is to blame for a lot of skinny people being at risk for disease without even realising it. The way fat distributes around our body and the way our metabolism works has a lot to do with genetics, but if you keep eating junk food and avoiding exercise, we assure you, you’re a lot unhealthier than your chubby friend who loves yoga and does their best to eat well. Skinny does not, in any way, equal healthy.
You need to avoid carbs at all cost
Every dieter knows that if you want to lose weight, you must not eat carbs. However, it’s dangerous to decide an entire food group is somehow bad, and carbs are actually quite beneficial and need to be a part of your diet. You need less of them, but you still have to eat them, especially if you work out. We recommend that you avoid pastries, bread, pasta, and especially candy, but feel free to eat fruits, starchy veggies, nuts, seeds, and whole grains.
Never eat before or after a workout
While eating a huge meal right before your workout isn’t a good idea, a small snack could actually improve your performance. We recommend carbs because they’ll give you that much-needed boost of energy and motivation, but pick the healthy kind, such as fruit (an apple or a banana), or a handful of nuts. A post-workout snack is also important and should ideally be taken right after you’re done stretching and have rested a bit from exercising. A homemade shake with a mix of almond milk, some quality protein powder, and maybe a few berry fruits mixed in a blender is a splendid choice because proteins are the building blocks of our muscles. This will speed up recovery and it’ll make sure your body burns fat instead of muscle tissue to shed pounds. If you want, you could also add some chia and flax seeds to your shake to get a nice dose of healthy antioxidants in there.
Diet sodas keep you skinny
While they may contain zero calories, diet sodas have artificial sweeteners that can increase our appetites and make hunger cravings a lot worse. Adults who drink diet sodas tend to consume more calories than those who don’t, or just drink the regular sweetened version, so the best thing to do is to simply cut out fizzy drinks altogether. Stick to tea and lemon water instead.
Dark chocolate and peanut butter are health foods
Do you know what ingredients does healthy peanut butter contain? Just peanuts. And that’s it. But commercial peanut butter is sweetened, processed, and full of additives, so it ends up being just some candy in disguise. The same thing goes for dark chocolate, which can be healthy, but is generally too processed to still retain all its benefits. However, you can fix this by seeking out dark chocolate with at least 70% of cocoa in it, and by making your own peanut butter at home.
Don’t worry, staying healthy doesn’t need to be expensive and time-consuming! It does, however, require some planning and organization, so keep these myths in mind when picking out which food to eat.
Author
Mia Taylor is a fashion and beauty enthusiast from Sydney and writer for www.highstylife.com. She loves writing about her life experiences. Travelling and enjoying other cultures and their food with her husband is a big part of her life. She is always on the lookout for new trends in fashion and beauty, and considers herself an expert when it comes to lifestyle tips.
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