Back at it again with the myth busting realness. It’s us. Hello!
It’s that time again, but this time we’re tackling a really massive topic: diets. More specifically, common diet myths.
Whilst we could talk about this for hours (and hours and hours), there are a few things that we feel are really important to stamp out straight away. Diet myths aren’t just annoying, it’s much more than that. They’re widespread, very often silly, and nearly always just plain wrong.
Aside from that, though, diet myths can also be extremely damaging – and that’s why we need to get rid and change the tune of our health and wellness community to ensure that we’re promoting healthy practices, positivity, and growth. Always.
The fitness community needs to work together to ensure that these diet myths don’t become the norm. So, what are the biggest diet myths? We’re about to debunk some of the big ones.
Common diet myth #1: carbs make you fat
Perhaps the biggest diet myth of all time, we’re here to confirm that carbs do not make you fat. It’s pretty simple, really. The only thing that makes you gain wait is by being in a calorie surplus. That means eating carbs does not necessarily make you gain wait – so, it’s time to stop blaming the bread.
It’s time to rid carbohydrates of their bad rep and tarnished name. They are not the devil!
Enjoy that bread, eat that pasta and indulge. Just make sure you’re eating in moderation and you’re good to go!
Common diet myth #2: snacking is bad for you
It’s true: snacking is really not unhealthy. The mixed messages are false. Again, it’s just all about avoiding a calorie surplus.
The concept of snacking fills peoples heads with ideas of endless cakes, packets of biscuits and, as it’s January, left over Christmas chocolates. The truth is, is that this really doesn’t have to be this way. Whilst this definition of snacking may be true for some people (and if that does apply to you, we do recommend you consider cutting down to ensure you are staying health), these associations are purely false if you’re snacking on the right things.
Healthy snacks that are rich in nutrients don’t have to taste bad, and some of our favourites are fruits, vegetables and nuts, which are also easy to snack on the go. Win win!
Common diet myth #3: Juice cleanses are necessary
Now juice cleanses are a subject that we’ve spoken about here before. And that’s because they’re very well known as a pretty popular fad diet – and if you know us here at Innermost, you know that we’re not a very big fan of those, at all.
What is a juice cleanse?
If you’re not familiar with the concept of a juice cleanse, the nature of these techniques contribute to some of the biggest diet myths there are.
Sometimes referred to as a juicing fast, a juice cleanse requires an individual to consume nothing but fresh (and sometimes organic) juice. The aim of the game is to potentially ‘detoxify’ the body, but there is no concrete scientific evidence to suggest that juice cleanses are a good way to detoxify your body or lose weight long term.
Diet myth = debunked.
Common diet myth #4: Fasting is the best way to lose body fat
Finally, we approach the subject of fasting. If you’re not sure what fasting is, there are a variety of ways in which an individual can conduct fasting, but the general idea behind this practice is to restrict yourself from eating.
During a fast, an individual will intentionally eat less than your body requires in an attempt to lose weight, and even sometimes work out during a fast in an attempt to achieve maximum results.
Whilst fasting is common place in some religious communities, and has been seen to have short term results, the long term impacts of fasting are not beneficial in terms of sustainable and maintained weight loss.
In reality, whilst fasting is a somewhat efficient way to lose body fat, it is definitely not the only way, and should be approached with extreme caution to ensure that no damage is encountered.
Summary
There we have it. Common diet myths debunked by your favourite health and wellness brand.
All in all, there are a lot of common diet myths out there that are just plain wrong. The important thing to remember is that healthy dieting is always a long term thing. There are no healthy quick fixes, so if it sounds too good to be true, it most probably is. It’s all about looking out for yourself, and drastic measures that are often encouraged by diet myths are more often pretty dangerous and ineffective, too.
In the month of January, with so many people setting new years’ resolutions, starting health and wellness plans, and making positive changes to their routines, it’s important not to get caught up in the harmful rhetoric around dieting and the potentially dark side of diet culture.
