The 4 Stupid Diet Myths

Tweet

There’s nothing like achieving a healthy lifestyle through proper nutrition. but most people don’t even come close to eating a healthy well-balanced diet. We are mostly victims to many common diet myths that often advise cutting out essential nutrients that your body needs to function properly.

Stupid Diet Myth 1:
Some food groups should be eliminated

Fad diets emphasize the elimination of certain food groups or eating primarily only one or two food groups. We need a balanced diet that supplies us with the diverse nutrients that keep us healthy. Water, vitamins, protein, fat, minerals, carbohydrates, fiber, and oxygen. Eating a diet rich in fruits, veggies, grains, nuts, and seeds will help you rebuild your immune system, which will in turn help you to stay healthy.

Stupid Diet Myth 2:
You have to eat meat to get enough protein

There are various sources of protein. A bodybuilder/athlete could require up to 150 grams of protein per day. For ordinary individuals, we need only approx 30 grams of protein each day. Meat and dairy products are very high in sodium and fat. Fruits and vegetables have at least one gram of protein in them. Grains, nuts, oils and legumes contain complete proteins whereas meat proteins are actually incomplete.

Stupid Diet Myth 3:
Eliminate fat from your diet

Never! Believe it or not, your body needs approx 50 grams of fat each day to function properly. It helps your joints and muscles work smoothly and aids in hormone production/regulation. Raw nuts, olive oil, and avocados are a rich source of nutritious and healthy fats (Natural peanut butter is an excellent source of good fats!). Look closely at the foods you buy and stay away from hydrogenated fats.

Stupid Diet Myth 4:
You have to go hungry to lose weight

The average woman should never eat less than 1,200 calories/day and the average man should never eat less than 1,800 calories per day. If you feed your body natural foods, then you’ll have no need to go hungry. You can pretty much eat all the fresh fruits and vegetables you want, and it will not adversely affect your weight.

######
MMR (The Malaysian Medical Resources Blog) has got an interesting post on Intuitive Eating where you basically follow your gut feeling and eat accordingly. I dont know how effective this is as I’ve read that it sometimes takes up to 20 minutes for your stomach to signal your brain that it is actually full… but I could be wrong.

Your friend and coach,
DM