10 COMMON MISTAKES IN NUTRITION
Strict/restrictive diets:
The most successful and healthiest way to lose weight is over a long period of time. The only way to lose fat without losing muscle mass is to lose approximately 1 pound per week. Think about how long it took to put ON the weight… it wouldn't make sense to drop the pounds in an extremely short period of time.
2. Not eating enough calories:
As a follow up to my previous item - restricting your calorie intake severely will affect your base metabolism. When you are in starvation mode, your metabolism will be slowed down and it will conserve all the energy it can to keep your organs working properly. It's may be a concept that is difficult to understand, but picture this: if your income was cut in half tomorrow, you would need to conserve the little bit of money you are getting in order make your important payments. Does that make sense?
3. Excluding a food group or category:
Some people mistakenly eliminate gluten (which is a protein) from their diet thinking it is causing them bloating, when in fact it is fructans (which is a carbohydrate) causing the discomfort. This results in a reduced intake of many vitamins and minerals that are present in these foods, when it wasn't necessary in the first place.
4. Only reading the front-of-package when trying to compare products:
You've probably heard me talk once or twice (or 35 times) about food labels before. They give us so much information about a product! The only way of really knowing what's in a product, is by reading the ingredients list. If you want to compare two products, take a look at the %DV! Super quick and efficient.
5. Replacing meals with liquid:
Whether it be in a juice, a smoothie, a milkshake: drinking does not fill you up the same way that eating will. The process of blending the fruits/vegetables will break down some of the fibre, therefore you will not reach satiety at the same time as if you ate the exact same foods on a plate. To replace a meal, a smoothie absolutely needs to contain some form of protein and some healthy fats.
6. Demonizing foods:
Restricting or eliminating foods that we desire will make us think about them and crave them more. It will likely cause an eventual breakdown and turn into a binge. Allowing ourselves to eat the foods that we want (while prioritizing nutritious foods on a more frequent basis) is part of healthy and balanced diet.
7. Comparing ourselves:
Social media particularly has caused us to believe that we have to achieve a body type that is completely unrealistic. We all have different metabolisms (due to genetics and microbiome composition) and we need to listen and rely on our own bodies’ signals of hunger and satiety. Two people can eat exactly the same thing and have two completely different bodies.
8. Cutting out carbs for weight loss:
I've talked about this one before. The immense fear of carbs has caused people to eliminate it completely (or at least attempt to) from their diet, with nothing but deception once they reincorporate it. Not to mention the lack of energy and so many nutrients!
9. Choosing "light" products:
Taking a glance at the nutrition facts table and the ingredients list could help us make more informed decisions when hesitating between products. Opting for the "light" products is not always the better choice, as there is often a longer list of ingredients with some undesirable additives to mimic texture and/or taste of the original product.
10. Not spreading protein intake evenly throughout the day:
We usually don't consume enough protein in the morning, and too much at supper time. Spreading our intake more evenly throughout the day and increasing the amount of protein at breakfast will allow us to remain fuller, regulate our appetite and potentially avoid the late night snacking.
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