DISPELLING NUTRITION MYTHS
Carbs eaten at night are more likely to be stored as fat!
Nope, definitely not the case! Eating carbs at 10pm won’t cause them to suddenly convert to fat and stick to your stomach. It all comes down to how much you’ve eaten over the rest of the day. Carbs like any food contain calories. If you’ve eaten your required intake of calories for the day and then consume another meal on top of that at night you will likely gain some weight. It won’t be down to the carb content alone though – just too much food in general.
Skipping breakfast will make you fat.
Nope. By skipping breakfast you’re actually having a short fasting period. There’s evidence to suggest that short intermittent fasting periods of around 12-16 hours can cause your body to burn fat instead.
Eating too much protein is bad for you/your kidneys?
Nope – there are currently no scientific studies to suggest this. One study tested high consumption of over 2g of protein per kg of body weight for over 2 years with no detriment to the subjects health. Our bodies are very smart and can process large amounts of protein because it is so essential to us. Eating 1.3-2g of protein per kg of body weight should be beneficial for most people.
Bread is bad for you!
Bread isn’t bad and doesn’t make you fat. Nor is gluten unless you’re one of the 0.5% of the population who have a gluten intolerance. Good quality wholegrain bread is full of fibre and healthy as part of a balanced diet.
Protein shakes are only for body builders
Nope – they’re just another type of food containing protein and are a great way for anyone to top up protein in their diet if they’re struggling to get it from other foods. They also curb hunger pangs so can help with weight loss. Just watch the calories and sugar content and pick a good quality brand.
Too many eggs are bad for you/give you high cholesterol?
Nope – this is a really old school myth. There’s no real data to suggest this. It all stemmed from scaremongering that’s just hung around. It’s only recently that the government and the NHS have revised their advice to limit egg consumption and now there is no limit on how many eggs you should eat. An egg contains around 10g protein, a little fat and packed full of vitamins and minerals.
There’s more protein in most plants than meat?
Errrrr what….there are lots of plant based foods with high protein content BUT you’d have to eat almost a kilo of broccoli to get the same amount as a 100g steak. Also all protein isn’t equal – many plant based proteins aren’t complete proteins and are lacking in essential amino acids.
Have you heard any more? Let us know.
Coach Kate