The world has begun to move towards a personalised view of nutrition whereby the role of the individual is better understood. And from this we can cater specific plans to individuals through methods like genetic testing for food sensitivities. The only issue that remains is that there is a lot of information available and it’s safe to say that not all of it is true, or based on hard evidence. We’ve already pinpointed a few of these and debunked myths but with so much out there we’ve been compelled to bring you a refreshed list of misconceptions about healthy eating you need to re-educate yourself about.
You need to restrict yourself to be healthy
We are all different and even though you get people who are able to eat clean and healthy all year round, without so much of a pang of craving when they walk past the sweet aisle at the store, that unfortunately isn’t relevant to most of us. But don't worry, if you are able to maintain a healthy diet of fruits, vegetables, lean meat, fresh fish, and so on, then eating a donut or a packet of chips every so often is not going to kill you.
Exercising lets you eat what you want
This couldn't be further from the truth. The reality is that if you want to lose weight or build muscle, depending on your personal goals, your diet works in conjunction with exercise. If you aren’t eating according to your training, you will see minimal results that will leave you disappointed and disillusioned.
It is bad to eat late at night?
Eating late at night is the same as eating in the morning, there are only a few differences that make logical sense. First of all, if you are eating late at night, chances are that you have already eaten regularly throughout the day. This extra intake of calories can mean frustrating weight gain for those who want to lose it. Eating late at night can also affect your much-needed sleep time, because your body will still be digesting the food when you are trying to rest. Those things don't go hand-in-hand. And finally, normally when you eat during the day you have the rest of the day to metabolise food and burn it off as fuel. If you are eating then going to sleep, you may find that those calories aren’t being burned off and are stored as fat. Still, there’s nothing wrong with eating late at night if you manage your daily intake of food.
You must drink 8 cups of water a day
Every person is an individual with different needs. Therefore, it is impossible to make umbrella recommendations that leave the outliers feeling like they splurge too much, or have too little of their daily nutrients. The rule for water should be that if you’re thirsty, you should drink. You should drink water every day because it is important for your health; replacing the sodas at lunch for a tall glass of it is a great idea. But you don't have to stress about having exactly eight glasses. If you aren’t thirsty, that’s just you, and there’s no need to feel as though you’re doing yourself harm.
Health bars are healthy
Chocolate-covered grain and nut bars are marketed everywhere as an important part of your training and a means to get an added boost during the day. The reality is that while health bars can be nutritious, they normally contain high amounts of sugar and are not as healthy as we think. Try to eat health bars that are sugar-free (if that’s even possible) and with natural ingredients rather than flavourants.
Grains are the way to go
These days, we’re hearing everything about how important grains are and how you need to step up your intake of them. This has caused companies to market their products as being multi-grain, containing more grains than their competitors. In truth, don't let these ploys confuse you from the reality. Eating any sort of whole grain product is healthy, but as you know, whenever the nutrition industry latches on to a way of thinking, they tend to make it a be-all and end-all kind of dance. When, in fact, if you stick to your healthy diet and include grains but don't go overboard, you’ll be just fine.
Learn more about Health Fit, our easy to follow plan for those trying to improve their overall health.
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