|
The Question: Proper nutrition plays a major role in bodybuilding and in living a healthy lifestyle. But with all the information coming from different sources there are often opposing views. What are some nutrition myths that should be debunked? How important is it that people understand these nutrition mistakes? How can one prevent falling into the trap of a nutrition myth? Bonus Question: Have you ever fell for any of the nutrition myths? Which ones? Show off your knowledge to the world! The Winners:
2. Belloc View Profile 3. mawt View Profile 3. Owen70 View Profile
2nd place - 50 in store credit. 3rd place - 25 in store credit. To use your credit, e-mail Will @ will@bodybuilding.com for more info.
There are numerous nutritional myths out there. Most of us believe in these myths so much, we don't even ask anybody to confirm if it's a myth or not. We blindly listen and obey these beliefs and ultimately see little result. In this article, I will debunk the most common nutritional myths out there today.
Not true. Carbohydrates itself will not make you fat, the calories will. It's very simple really. If you consume more calories than you burn, you will gain weight. If you consume less calories than you burn, you will lose weight. If you consume the same amount of calories that you burn throughout the day, then you will maintain weight.
First off, a fat free diet is almost impossible. Only a few foods have no fat such as some brands of whole grain cereal. But even if you eat nothing but those fat free cereals and drink nothing but water, you'd probably get very ill. Why? Dietary fats are needed to carry fat soluble vitamins such as vitamin D, E, K, and X. Also, our body needs the essential fatty acids found in plants and fish oil in order to function properly. Our cells need those essential fatty acids to help make every cell membrane watertight. Dietary Fat: By consuming those essential fatty acids, you are also preventing symptoms of inflammatory problems like rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis and supporting a healthy heart and joints. Fat is NOT the enemy!
The first part is correct. The second part is just another myth. While fruit juices provide vitamin C and other vitamins, it is very sugary and caloric dense. The fruit juice is very easily absorbed by the body, causing blood-sugar levels to suddenly increase. By doing so, the body releases the energy-storage hormone known as insulin. The insulin-response by the body then triggers increased fat storage and increased appetite. The best alternative to soda is water, not fruit juice.
This is also nonsense. Now unless you have some sort of milk allergy, such as lactose intolerance or some other sort allergy, you should continue to avoid consuming milk. However, if you do not, then you may want to think twice about milk consumption.
I believed this myth for almost a year and a half. For my post workout shakes, I would consume only a total of thirty grams of protein (ten from milk and twenty from whey). I soon found out that the body can handle much more than that. Depending on your body type and weight, one can digest X amount of protein per hour. However, the excess protein does not get discarded by the body. It stays there until the next hour, where it will continue to be absorbed until it is gone. Now, for my post workout shake, I use two scoops of whey protein instead of just one. Protein:
This is only a myth. There is absolutely no scientific proof to justify that statement. We are perfectly capable of consuming say a steak and potatoes at once. The steak is mostly protein and fat and the potato is mostly carbohydrates. Our body is capable of digesting all three at a time.
Unless you are taking creatine, your muscles will not retain enough water weight for you to look bloated. Do not skimp on the water because water is very important for our well-being. A measly two percent drop in our bodies water supply can cause us to dehydrate.
In contrary to popular belief, consuming more water will not force your body to retain water. Think about it. If you drink only four glasses of water, your body will think that water is scarce. What does your body do?
In order to get all the nutrients you need throughout the day in those three meals, they would all have to be in huge portions. There are two main problems in doing so. First, large meals are very hard to absorb. Second, these large infrequent meals will stimulate fat storage.
Not always. For example, eye of round and flank are excellent red-meat choices. The eye of round is nearly as lean as skinless chicken breast and has more vitamins too. The reason why eye of round meat make people fat is because they use marinades or sauces that may contain oils. Instead, try broiling the red meat with herbs and lemon juice for a healthier approach.
I know I know, not many bodybuilders believe this. However, many people still believe that all proteins are created equal. There are actually three different type of proteins for those who do not yet know. The three types are whey, casein and soy protein.
Forum Threads:
A lot of bodybuilders eat only the egg whites and toss away the egg yolk, which is the most nutritious part of the egg. All of the eggs vitamin A, D and E are located in the egg yolk.
This is the most important myth to debunk No, it most certainly cannot. So many people believe this myth, especially the beginners. I too, believed in this popular myth so I am not one to criticize. Your diet is the base of foundation for your progress.
"Lean Meat, Fruits, And Whole
Grains Should Be The Base Of Your Diet."
 View Our Huge Supplement Article Database Here.
People have said that proper nutritional and a good diet is 90 percent of bodybuilding. That may not be completely accurate, but a diet is very important. I would say roughly 50 percent, but you get the point. If you fall into one of the many nutritional mistakes, you will gain little muscle or even worse, lose muscle. It is important that you spot out the myths from the facts. If not, you will not progress to your body's full potential. If you believe one of those myths I listed above, stop. Your progress will come along better and you will live a healthy life.
Many people believe that bodybuilding magazines are the best source of information regarding sports nutrition. IT'S NOT! These bodybuilding magazines cannot simply survive on only our subscriptions. They make profit as many ways as they can, including advertising from nutritional-supplement manufacturers.
There are thousands of informative nutritional articles on the internet so I would look there for confirmation. Other places include that monster at the gym that looks like he knows what he's doing. Look for those overlapping beliefs and consider if they are logical. Consider those beliefs as guidelines that you should base your diet around, do not imitate his exact diet because every individual is different.
Many bodybuilders receive their nutritional beliefs from their friends or family members (Bodybuilders: Myths About Nutrition). Television and bodybuilding magazine can sometimes be biased due to advertising and cannot always be trusted. The best thing one can do to prevent falling into a nutritional myth trap is to listen to logic. Do some research and do what seems the most logical to you. If somebody told you to stop drinking water in order to lose weight, stop and think if it is logical, or even safe. Nutrition Mistakes And Myths:
References:
Human nutrition is far more complex and intricate than that. All calories are not equal. Here's an example: Take two distinct meals: one consisting of 100 calories of just protein (e.g. a chicken breast) and the other one 100 calories of just carbohydrates (e.g. a couple of spoons of honey). Your body is going to react differently to each one of the meals; the thermic reaction to the protein meal will be much higher than it will for the carb meal. The carb meal will spike your insulin to a much greater extent that the protein meal will. And those are just a small example of the different ways in which your body reacts to each one of the meals. Despite being the same number of calories, your body doesn't handle both meals the same, ipso facto, ALL CALORIES ARE NOT EQUAL. And if we look at the macro nutrients themselves: We have simple carbs and complex carbs (complex carbs are known to give you stable blood sugar levels throughout the day and simple carbs will give you a quick insulin spike, this is why we have the Glycemic index).
The truth is there are good calories, empty calories, bad calories and even calories that don't call the next day.
Remember some years ago when it used to be "fat will make you fat"? Oh my how things change and yet remain the same. Look, carbohydrates are your body preferred energy source, they are exactly that: pure energy, fuel for the body if you will. But guess what happens when you consume more fuel than you burn: YOU STORE IT (as fat). You have two choices you either burn more fuel (exercise more) or you consume less fuel (eat less carbs) and there you have it, YES it is simple as that. Diets that completely cut out carbs aren't balanced (think about it cutting an entire macro nutrient? It's not okay to have an apple but you can eat all the cheese you want; does that seem reasonable?)
And the irony is you can eat only protein and fat but your body will still convert some of the protein you eat into carbs through a process called gluconeogenesis.
The human digestion process can last up to 72 hours, YES, you red that right, that's 3 days. A large meal with protein, fat and carbs can take up to 3 days to go from one end of your body to the other, so this myth is just plain stupid as you will have several meals digesting at the same time (one in the stomach another in the intestines). And the body doesn't magically stop digesting a meal at 31 grams of protein.
"Bro you can eat a 60 pound watermelon... it's negative calories." MYTH there is no such thing, all the so called "negative calorie" foods have in fact calories (what a shock I know), and yet they claim you can eat all the broccoli and watermelon you want because your body will use more calories in digesting them than they supply. Lie. Just try to eat watermelon all day and see if won't get fat.
  Click Image To Enlarge.Just Try To Eat A Watermelon All Day And See If You Won't Get Fat.
Read myth #3: meals can take 72 hours to digest so separating each macro nutrient is just stupid, besides several studies have shown that separating macronutrients had no difference in weight loss or gain. Forum Threads: What should be said is: "Don't eat processed foods high in fat and simple carbs."
I truly believe people have no idea how the human body works. They somehow think that as soon as you put something in your mouth it's digested completely, it takes hours to days to properly digest something and besides why wouldn't you want to be provided essential nutrients during sleep? It's one of the best anabolic windows we have to ensure proper muscle growth. YOU SHOULD EAT BEFORE BED TIME.
The truth is there is a lot of confusion out there and a lot of misleading information backed by hidden agendas and "nutrition gurus," so you really need to be careful and don't fall for the traps.
How can one prevent falling into the trap of a nutrition myth?
 Click Image To Enlarge.Your Mom Always Told You To Eat You Veggies.
Yes, I'm ashamed to say I did. I fell for the whole low carb thing. I did lose weight but my hormonal and energy levels took a hit. Had I known what I know now... Take care, Belloc
Eat this, don't eat that, protein shakes, oh you will die. These are things we listen to everyday and most of us do not understand the importance of a proper diet and the people who do are at times misguided due to a lot of "gym talk." So before starting a diet program or believing on any of these myths one should always do some research in order to be safe with your workout plans and so that you can easily reach your results and this is now becoming the clarion call of most in the bodybuilding industry.
There are many but I'd like to highlight only the ones that are important to bodybuilders. I'll only discuss those that are going to be useful for people who workout and have bodybuilding goals.
This is a common one and isn't understood by people who are on a fat reduction program. What should be understood is that it is the fats that we take that produce hormones such as testosterone that in turn build and retain muscle and help us in losing fat.
This is a myth that almost every one believes on. But the fact that a diet only high in protein can lower your testosterone levels in known only to a few. When this testosterone is lowered and gets out of the body through urination we lose both muscle size and strength. Testosterone: So it is the balance that is necessary when setting a diet plan. High protein, high carbohydrates and a balanced amount of fat but this would also depend on your current goals. Carbohydrates provide us with the energy to go through our workouts and complete our daily chores. Without carbohydrates our body would use proteins for energy which already are very difficult to consume.
There is no study that has been performed that has reached this conclusion. However, we do know that on people with kidney problems, too much protein is contraindicated. Otherwise, in healthy humans, a medium to high protein diet (not more than 1.5 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight) is not damaging to the kidneys.
Do ensure that sufficient water is consumed in order to help the kidneys process the protein. When taking more than 1.5 grams of protein there might be some damage but when bodybuilding for years and years our body gets used to it. This would be of great help to those who have just started and don't have such a huge protein requirement.
Too many carbohydrates are a problem (unless you are an endurance athlete such as a marathon runner or a tri-athlete i.e. do enough cardio), as carbohydrates are fuel that if not used gets stored as body fat.
A lot of people do this - have separate meals taking protein and a separate meal with only carbohydrates to make it six meals. But there is a better way to do this; if anyone wishes to keep his body in an anabolic state at all times, all meals should contain protein, carbohydrates and fats. This would provide the body with protein at all times to keep on repairing and building muscle as well as energy in the form of the carbohydrates and most importantly the fats would help in keeping a hormonal balance.
True, protein shakes are not as effective in some cases but when other protein sources are not available, bodybuilding protein shakes are very important. Taking 250 or more grams of protein is almost impossible to take in with a natural diet.
View Whey Protein Products Sorted By Top Seller Here.
Don't pull my leg now, and stop fooling everyone at the gym. Camels have got humps don't they? They store water to use it when it's needed right? This is exactly what the human body does when the water intake is not in accordance with our daily activity.
 Click Image To Enlarge.It Is Important To Keep A Healthy Water Intake.
What do most bodybuilders have for breakfast? The answer is loads of eggs. But have you ever noticed that when you open the website of a professional, like the Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler, his diet clearly has got some egg yolks in it according to his intake.
So even having egg yolks is important as it provides the body with useful fats. People who have acne problems can avoid yolks but as soon as this problem is gone with age everyone should start putting 1 or 2 yolks when ever they have these eggs in their diet. But with a warning that too many egg white regularly can cause cholesterol levels to rise so for those who workout with lesser intensity this is not a very good idea.
The opposite of this is what is correct. Drinking more water increases metabolism by starting and restarting the digestive system again and again and using up energy which in turn burns calories. This use of calories is useful for fat loss goals. Water: Some even say that this water should be cold so that it takes more energy for the body to heat it and then use it by pumping it around. Water is a key nutrient when bodybuilding as dehydration can bring muscle growth and fat loss to a sudden stop.
The color of an egg has got nothing to with the thickness, taste, or nutritional value of an egg so it is eating eggs that is important, not brown or white. The color only comes from the breed that the hen belongs to and nothing else.
Ronnie Coleman's key to building mass: "eat, eat and eat!" This is the importance of food and nutrition to a bodybuilder. Why is it said that anyone who trains should have six meals, this is only because of the importance of nutrition, but nutrition in the correct direction and after debunking all the myths.
 Click Image To Enlarge.Ronnie Coleman's Key To Building Mass "Eat, Eat And Eat!" Some myths are meant only for those who have a normal routine but when it comes to people who hit the gym hard some myths change and we have to go against what the doctors say at the time to build muscle and retain and increase strength. Our food intake is what we are and if you put diesel in a petrol car, you can imagine what will happen. A balance is what is required when it comes to nutrition and a proper research before starting a diet plan is the only way one can reach his/her physique goals.
"Proper Inputs Are Necessary
For A Smooth Process And A Proper Output." Nutrition is maybe the most neglected part by starters who mostly think that it is only the workouts that do everything and nutrition is not of that much importance. But again, proper inputs are necessary for a smooth process (digestion and workouts) and a proper output (the physique). And improper inputs could ruin a lot. Moreover, nutrition mistakes could also be fatal. Most people with fat reduction goals have already made these mistakes and are reading this to correct them, nutrition mistakes should not only be looked at for bodybuilding goals but also to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
By reading my article, ha-ha, certainly no. Firstly stop listening to what everyone - except your trainer - says in the gym and start listening to yourself. Listen to logic and research that has been made. Keep a balance and try to maintain it. Enjoy having a diet and seeing the results. Experiment and see what works best for you and this way you won't get into a nutrition trap. Stick to a proper diet plan and don't cheat too much as a bad habit could lead into a trap with you thinking you are on a diet plan. You can't consult your doctor on everything so researching over the internet is the key to success these days. But take the final word from an experienced bodybuilder who you can trust; to guide you so that you don't have to experiment everything yourself. Plus reading about myths and discussing them with someone who really has the knowledge of them really helps. This way you would know if you already are trapped with one so that you can discontinue as quickly as possible. Writer: Yousuf F. References:
Proper nutrition plays a major role in bodybuilding and in living a healthy lifestyle. But with all the information coming from different sources there are often opposing views.
Unfortunately, even many knowledgeable dieters believe this fabrication. However, it does not matter WHEN you eat something but rather HOW MUCH you have eaten. Sure, eating at night is usually done while distracted (watching T.V., playing video games, etc.) but that does not mean it is inherently the fast-track to fat gain. As a matter of fact, eating before bed can help while on a diet. Yes, eating a sensible amount of protein along with and adequate amount of carbohydrates and fats (for example, 1 cup of cottage cheese coupled with 2 tablespoons of peanut butter) can help with fat loss.
I should credit Dr. Dana Houser for enlightening me to this myth. Perhaps, the obsession with excessive amounts of aerobic, cardiovascular work in order to lose body fat is the most widespread myth of all. Legions of seemingly dedicated individuals drone away for extended periods of time, often multiple times per day, in order to "boost" their fat loss efforts. Their passion is misguided. I'll concede that cardiovascular exercise will burn fat. Unfortunately in the process of burning adipose tissue (fat) copious quantities of muscle are lost.
 Click Image To Enlarge.Cardio Burns Fat But Muscle Is Lost.
Simply put, the body will just as likely catabolize (breakdown) those bulging biceps for energy as it will waste away at your love handles in its attempts to follow the instructions you give me. Cardio: Of course, the net result of all of this body protein loss is a loss of muscle tissue. Without that valuable muscle tissue, our metabolic rate slows. Once the metabolic rate slows, we think fat loss has plateaued, and thus we begin a never-ending cycle of more cardio to increase our metabolic rate (fat-burning) which in turn results in even more muscle loss. Aerobic cardiovascular exercise therefore lacks true merit for body composition purposes except in extreme cases (last weeks of contest prep or endurance sport training).
This myth is perpetuated by thousands of people who want to live in denial and enjoy the multitude of candy-like concoctions prepared with this chemical marvel, the sugar alcohol. Technically classified as a carbohydrate on food labels, sugar alcohols, the FDA said, (due to their minimal impact on blood sugar) are allowed to not count towards overall carbohydrate grams of food's serving. However, as the saying goes, nothing in life is free. As a matter of fact, sugar alcohols contain roughly 2.3 - 2.4 calories per gram.
Sugar alcohols, due to their chemical complexity, often have their victims reporting gastrointestinal distress, diarrhea, or dry mouth. As you can see, sugar alcohols are definitely not a free ticket, whether it be in terms of calorie or digestion.
Although seen as a convenience food to many a time-pressed dieter, these two "foods" are anything but. First of all, many of the protein bars are loaded with sugar alcohols in order to keep their carbohydrate levels. This makes them bad for the reasons listed in the previous paragraph. Not only that, but saturated and trans fats (which are negative in pretty much every aspect of health) are often a necessary inclusion into these bars in order to maintain their shelf-lives and tasteful textures. Not only that, but they are often loaded with inferior proteins, like hydrolyzed collagen, that help with texture or the manufacturer's bottom line. I cannot, in truthfulness, find a single bar I would ever suggest as a suitable meal replacement. In short, don't throw away your Tupperware. View Protein Bars Sorted By Top Seller Here.
Some intelligent manufacturers try to circumvent this problem by the inclusion of slow-digestion proteins, such as micellar casein, or the addition of fibers. These two categories definitely improve upon MRP's viability on a diet. View Meal Replacement Powders Sorted By Top Seller Here.
In summary, these "foods" are only convenient if you desire less than maximum results on your diet.
It is amazing how many trainees still hold to this absurdity. While high-rep training will result in more caloric expenditure during the weight-training session (workout), it fails to surpass low-repetition once you're done training. This is due to the fact that because it more intense nature, low repetition not only allows the trainee to hold onto more muscle mass, they also force the body to accrue a greater post-exercise oxygen consumption rate or "oxygen debt."
Accepting these fallacies as myths is vital to having sustainable and attainable fat loss. Not only are many of these myths untrue, they are counter-productive to the goal and maximum fat loss and permanent health. Several of these goals are not just misinformation; they are responsible for the plateaus that uninformed dieters often face. The faster these fallacies are accepted as fiction, the faster results will be had.
Learn, learn, and LEARN! One must gather informational resources from as many sources as possible. Whether that is by reading a website's thousands of articles, asking the local gym "diet guru," or watching informative videos like The Fit Show, dieting know-how is available to all in this information age. The Fitshow:
Having an intelligent plan (along with the dedication to follow the plan) is vital to achieving loss of body fat. The only caveat: only the dieter can decide how bad he wants to lose fat. Information cannot be forced down the throat, and so a "want" has to exist to gather all of this information and apply it. Once that is done, results will follow. View Videos Sorted By Top Seller Here.
Everyone started somewhere; that includes myself. I remember when I lost my "baby fat" during adolescence eating a diet consisting purely of apples. Why apples? I had read an article sometime around then that discussed how low-calorie and nutritionally beneficial apples were. Granted, apples do have those characteristics.
 Click To Enlarge. A Display Of Different Apples. I thought variety on a diet meant, "Do I want this apple sliced, or do I want to eat it whole?" Soon enough, my diet of 10 apples split across 4 meals had me looking more horrific than healthy. Eventually, an unquenchable desire for knowledge evolved within me, and from that point on I have delved into every possible resource I could get a hold of in my search for the ultimate diet.
Recommend this article to a friend by e-mail here! Visitor Reviews Of This Article!
Related Articles
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sign in for more FREE features and tools!
|
|
Give Us Feedback:
Report A ProblemSite Feedback |
Follow Us:
|
Bodybuilding.com Newsletter
Receive exciting features, |
