Busted: Diet And Weight Loss Myths (1 of 3)

Aaron Nimmo is one of thousands of fitness gurus that I came across on Instagram, but he is someone I respect and his posts are always spot on. This series sounds like it will be a good one. here is 1 of 3.



Behind most food and nutrition myths, there is a kernel of truth, but there’s so much misinformation out there that it’s hard to know what’s true and what’s false.

In this week’s 3-part series we’re going to cover myths about certain foods, diets and weight loss tactics.

By the time we’re done you’ll have the knowledge you need to keep yourself from falling victim to industry myths.

So, why do some diet and weight loss myths stick around?

Myths are exciting!

A balanced diet and regular exercise are the best course for fighting diseases and staying healthy and that just isn’t as interesting to people as criminalizing carbs or gluten.

So let’s start covering some of these myths and debunk them once and for all.

FOODS THAT MAKE YOU FAT

Let’s get one things straight here. Anything (and I mean ANYTHING) will make you pack on the lbs. if you eat too much of it.

But perhaps the biggest myth of all is that carbohydrates make you fat.

The truth? There’s nothing inherently fattening about carbohydrates. No matter what the latest fad diet teaches, we NEED carbs. It’s eating too many carbs, period, that makes you fat.

There’s no question that sugary and refined-carbohydrate-rich foods, such as white bread, pasta and doughnuts, don’t compare to whole grains, beans, fruits and vegetables. When you’re eating refined foods you’re missing out on your body’s main source of nutrition (micros and macros) as well as vital fiber. But at the same time, when you cut out healthy carbs you eliminate a main source of fuel.

You. Need. Carbs.

Now on to the next…

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Fat does not make you fat.

So, why do so many people believe that fat is the enemy? This myth was created by saturated fat.

Several years ago, a study was published showing that there were more cases of heart disease in countries where people ate higher amounts of saturated fat, and after that people started to demonize fat altogether.

Here’s the problem. Just because the studies showed that fat intake and heart disease were higher among the same population doesn’t mean the heart disease was caused by fat consumption.

But these studies sidetracked us into believing that fat causes heart disease. And the fat free craze began!

Now we’ve learned that sugar is the true culprit, not fat. And we’ve also learned that good fats are VITAL to our health.

Ok, so you now know the truth about carbs and fat. Contrary to diet and weigh loss myths, good carbs and fats are a must.

But there’s one more thing I want to debunk while we’re on the subject of myths.

One word… gluten.

For people who are sensitive to it, gluten should be avoided. But despite the claims that it is the sole culprit of weight gain, the same is true for gluten-containing foods as it is for anything else. Eat too much and you WILL gain weight. The bottom line is that gluten itself can’t be held accountable for extra lbs.

In fact, the most common gluten-free packaged products are full of starch and sugar, making them less healthy than good old gluten packed foods.

Instead of "villainizing" one thing in the diet, we need to look at the quality of our food and total caloric content.