Eating Healthy - 5 Myths About Nutrition that We’ve Been Fooled By
Healthy Eating Myths
Many of us are in a perpetual state of trying to eat healthy on a daily basis.
We are constantly looking and listening for the next trend, the next healthy eating tip, and listening for the buzz words.
We are just trying to do what’s best for our bodies.
In our modern world of AI and abundant information sources at our fingertips through social media and advanced search tools, it is no wonder we are confused by conflicting health claims.
It’s difficult to know when the source of these health claims is credible (or even human!).
So, what do we do?
We try ALL the things.
We buy the products that have the healthy eating buzz words.
We don’t question when our health care providers prescribe a diet, medication, or technique that will make us healthier.
We live by old rules of healthy eating, assuming the research has withstood time.
We don’t do the research ourselves, because who has the time?!
So, why listen to me?
I am a human, first of all, and an expert in holistic nutrition.
I am trained to find the root causes of symptoms by assessing the whole person, to educate my clients on what is happening in their bodies, and to support them as they work to repair it.
My clients seek me out because, like you, they’ve tried all the things and have had little to no results, and they’ve heard I can change that.
They come to me when they want answers, because nothing else is working.
This article focuses on common myths about nutrition that I’ve heard directly from clients.
Let’s clear the air about eating healthy, and take a step toward redefining health.
5 Myths about nutrition
Here’s the thing: You already know your body needs carbohydrates for energy production. (and if you didn’t, now you do!)
And when carbohydrates are not available, our body has the ability to convert fats into carbohydrates to use for energy (if this system is working properly).
However, we commonly fall into the trap of health claims that promise weight loss goals and beach-ready bods if we cut them out completely.
THE UPSIDE OF CARBOHYDRATES
ENERGY: Carbohydrates are broken down more readily into glucose (1), the smallest form of sugar. In ideal health, glucose is shuttled into cells with the help of insulin, where is it used in the production of ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate), which can be thought of as fuel for our cells’ functioning (different cells have different functions - nerves, immune cells, blood cells, brain cells, tissue cells, etc.).
FIGHT AND PREVENT DISEASE: Whole food forms of carbohydrates also contain other important nutrients that help stabilize the breakdown of the carbohydrate into glucose(2). Nutrients like fiber, antioxidants, minerals, protein, and fats have multiple health benefits, such as lowering cholesterol, preventing chronic illness like diabetes, lowering inflammation, and supporting the immune system.
DELICIOUS!: They’re delicious and come from a wide variety of foods! Many hear the word “carbs” and think “sugar”, but good quality carbohydrates come from legumes, beans, whole grains, and colorful vegetables and fruits.
THE DOWNSIDE OF CARBOHYDRATES
MUCH OF WHAT WE CONSUME IS REFINED: Poor quality carbohydrates (and a lack of balance between other macronutrients) are everywhere, and are marketed as a way of making us think they are healthy foods. Look at the ingredients list of most foods labeled “gluten-free”, “low fat”, “lite”, “cauliflower crust”, or “100 calorie pack”, and I would bet good money that those products are loaded with heavily processed starches and sugars, which break down more rapidly into glucose, causing issues like insulin resistance, diabetes, and weight gain. READ MORE ABOUT THIS PROCESS HERE.
UNNECESSARY WEIGHT GAIN: When out of balance with protein and fats, carbs cause us to gain unwanted weight because they reduce the efficacy of insulin (remember the hormone that shuttles glucose into cells for energy production?).
FEED UNWANTED GUT PATHOGENS: Carbs (especially refined, or processed) make us more hungry, and cause us to want to eat more often. These carbohydrates not only feed unwanted gut pathogens that our body would normally be able to fight off, but snacking or grazing, disables an important mechanism called the Migrating Motor Complex, which is necessary to keep gut pathogens out. READ MORE ABOUT THE MIGRATING MOTOR COMPLEX HERE.
CHOOSE YOUR CARBOHYDRATES CAREFULLY
Pairing your carbs with quality fats, proteins, and fiber, will help slow the breakdown of carbs into glucose, and help you feel hungry less often. When you do choose carbohydrates, choose from this list:
beans/legumes (sprouted preferably)
dark, leafy greens
whole fruits (in small doses)
whole, sprouted grains - did you know that white rice has had its hull removed (where all the good fiber lives) in a process called “polishing”? Choosing wild rices and ancient grains that have not been processed is the best way to ensure you are getting the whole grain.
starchy vegetables (in small doses)
“I just want a clean slate,” is common for me to hear.
People come to me after hearing about some new liver cleanse, or juice cleanse, and want affirmation from me that it’s the right move.
The hard truth? I’m not a fan.
Intense, focused cleanses like this are necessary in specific circumstances, such as when the liver needs to be intensely supported in order to clear out gut pathogens.
USE CAUTION
🚩Practitioners that sell a detox or cleanse product to anyone without evaluating their health, is a red flag in my book.🚩
A detox or cleanse will not give you a clean slate, and will not resolve your symptoms unless you are also working systemically to repair the root cause(s).
These products are a band-aid fix that might help you feel better temporarily, but blatantly ignore the underlying causes of the issue at hand.
The better answer?
Find a practitioner who will assess your body’s unique health needs and find the root causes of your symptoms. (👋 I CAN HELP!)
If a detox or cleanse is necessary to resolve your symptoms at a foundational level, a good practitioner will guide you through it and adapt it to your body’s unique health needs.
You may have heard in the past few years, that the old “research” telling us that fats were bad, has long since been debunked (3).
We need fat for cellular health, to regulate inflammation, to transport nutrients throughout the body, to make reproductive and stress hormones, for brain function… the list goes on.
Eating healthy fats is the key here, while avoiding heavily processed fats and oils that are far more destructive to your health.
So, yes, if you are someone who consumes a diet rich in packaged foods (even if they are marketed as “healthy foods”), then the fats you are consuming probably are “bad”.
There is a lot to say about this subject, but I’m going to pull out the very foundational pieces for the sake of this article. FOR THOSE WHO WANT A MORE DETAILED LOOK, TAP HERE.
Here’s the dirty truth about fats.
INFLAMMATION: Oils and fats that are marketed to us as being healthy foods, are commonly made with heavily processed fats and chemicals to replace fats and add texture.
When a fat is heated, the electrical properties of the molecules change, and become unstable. These new unstable molecules are called “free radicals".
When free radicals are present, because they are unstable, they literally bounce around erratically, causing damage to the surrounding cells and molecules until they are removed, or re-stabilized.
The damage caused by free radicals not only causes a chronic inflammatory response, but also damages important cells, like nerve cells. If you know anyone with Type II Diabetes who suffers from Peripheral Neuropathy, this is exactly what is happening.
The most disturbing part of this is when a fat (or any food) is broken down like this, it is a form of decay. When a food starts to decay, rot, or spoil (say, in your refrigerator), what is the first thing we notice? The smell. Oil manufacturers add deodorizers to these heavily processed oils to cover up the smell that is made to deter us from eating something that is harmful to our health(4).
CELLULAR HEALTH: We know from looking at different types of fat molecules, known as fatty acids, that some fats are more flowing and pliable, and some fats (trans fats are the biggest culprit) are more rigid in structure.
Cell walls are made mostly of fats in the form of phospholipids. We need those cell walls to be pliable in order to be able to transfer nutrients into and out of the cell.
This transfer happens constantly and for many different reasons. But a good example we’ve already covered is the transferring of glucose into the cell for the production of ATP.
When we eat a diet higher in processed food and poor quality fats, the structure of our cells suffers. Rather than being soft and pliable, and welcoming to nutrients, the walls are rigid, stiff, and have sharp edges. This structure inhibits nutrients from being transferred across the cell wall effectively, effectively preventing from important metabolic processes to occur.
SO, WHAT CAN YOU DO ABOUT IT?
Simple. Choose better fats.
It’s not enough to choose packaged foods that are labeled “no trans fats”, or “heart healthy”, because those terms are not regulated.
Take steps toward replacing your current oils and fats with fats from this list:
cold-pressed, or virgin oils from naturally high-fat foods, such as olives, avocados, and coconut
avoid seed oils when ever possible
real butter from grass-fed cows
rendered animal fats, such as duck fat or beef tallow
ghee - this is a clarified butter that is shelf stable and is commonly better tolerated for those who have a hard time digesting dairy
If you have ever followed the show The Biggest Loser, and seen the lasting effects of the “calories in, calories out” approach to weight loss, it’s pretty easy to see that the results do not last.
For a short time, yes, consuming fewer calories than you burn will cause you to lose weight.
But your body is a fascinating thing. In order to keep you alive, it will adapt to circumstances like calorie restrictions. Your body views calorie restriction as though you are in famine, in which there is a threat of starvation.
This sudden loss of fat triggers a process called metabolic adaptation, in which the body’s resting metabolic rate slows in an effort to keep you alive (5)
What’s even more interesting, is that proper fasting and re-feeding techniques, wherein calorie restriction is not the goal, this metabolic slowing does not occur, but instead helps the body improve systems of metabolic switching (6). 👉READ MORE ABOUT INTERMITTENT FASTING BENEFITS HERE.
This is the number one reason I do the work that I do.
THE DIRTY TRUTH:
We are a society bombarded with constant, and often conflicting, health claims. None of which are able to consider your body’s individual health needs, experiences, and lifestyle.
My mission is to redefine how you look at health. To educate and empower you to advocate for your health by finding the root causes of your symptoms, and resolving these underlying factors.
Your symptoms are your body’s way of communicating what it has experienced, and those experiences are different for everyone.
Put more simply:
Vegan eating will not solve your health problems unless animal products are the cause of your health problems.
Eating foods that are gluten-free will not solve your health problems unless gluten is the cause of your health problems.
Restricting calories will not solve your weight problem unless too many calories are the cause of your weight gain.
The only way to truly improve health, stop feeling bloated, lose weight, reduce pain, get rid of acne, and enjoy looking at yourself in the mirror again, is to get individualized support.
Your health is not defined by numbers on a scale.
So, what?
Feeling defeated by the rules and restrictions of dieting?
If so, then tap that button below.
I’ve got your back.
Any surprises for you in reading this?
Any “ah-ha!” moments?
Share your thoughts in the comments below.
NUTRITION SERVICES
MORE RESOURCES
BLOG REFERENCES:
Mayo Clinic Staff. (2022, March 22). Choose your Carbs wisely. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/carbohydrates/art-20045705
Ludwig, D. S., Hu, F. B., Tappy, L., & Brand-Miller, J. (2018, June 13). Dietary carbohydrates: Role of quality and quantity in chronic disease. BMJ (Clinical research ed.). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5996878/
Ramsden, C. E., Zamora, D., Majchrzak-Hong, S., Faurot, K. R., Broste, S. K., Frantz, R. P., Davis, J. M., Ringel, A., Suchindran, C. M., & Hibbeln, J. R. (2016, April 12). Re-evaluation of the traditional diet-heart hypothesis: Analysis of recovered data from Minnesota Coronary Experiment (1968-73). The BMJ. https://www.bmj.com/content/353/bmj.i1246
Negash, Y. A., Amare, D. E., Bitew, B. D., & Dagne, H. (2019, December 4). Assessment of quality of edible vegetable oils accessed in Gondar city, Northwest Ethiopia - BMC Research notes. BioMed Central. https://bmcresnotes.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13104-019-4831-x
Johannsen, Darcy L, et al. “Metabolic Slowing with Massive Weight Loss despite Preservation of Fat-Free Mass.” The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, U.S. National Library of Medicine, July 2012, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3387402/#:~:text=Despite%20relative%20preservation%20of%20FFM,or%20caloric%20restriction%20are%20maintained.
Vasim, Izzah, et al. “Intermittent Fasting and Metabolic Health.” Nutrients, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 31 Jan. 2022, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8839325/#:~:text=During%20prolonged%20periods%20of%20fasting,for%20many%20tissues%20especially%20brain.
