Join Bianca as she discusses several of the most common fitness myths, in episode nine of the Fit Not Fad podcast.

Bianca Grover: Hello and welcome to episode nine of the Fit Not Fad podcast. If you remember correctly, our very first episode covered fitness myths, because I felt the need to touch on some popular topics and misinformation I found on the internet and even heard from clients and friends.

This episode, I’ll be covering some nutrition myths. I believe this is appropriate, especially with all the fad diets popping up and silly information spread on social media platforms.

We will talk about seven nutrition myths, lay down the facts and learn something new! Without any further ado, here is your first myth.

Skipping meals is a healthy way to lose weight.

Our very first myth is also one of the oldest nutrition myths. Skipping meals seems to be an obvious answer when people are looking for ways to lose weight, but unfortunately it does more harm than good. Skipping meals slows down your metabolism, which actually has a negative impact on your weight loss journey. While being in a caloric deficit does result in weight loss, skipping entire meals is not how we sustainably create that deficit.

On top of the fact that your metabolism slows down, starving yourself - because that is what you are doing - will bring other negative side effects along. Your energy levels will be extremely low - which will make you feel sluggish, tired and you might even experience some headaches along with a stomach ache.

Not to mention, you can become hangry, and nobody enjoys that. You might even end up overeating with your next meal and that caloric deficit won’t matter. Sometimes, you might even gain weight.

The best way to be at a caloric deficit is to carefully plan out your meals, cut small amounts of calories with every meal - instead of an entire meal- and seek professional advice from someone with a nutrition background. Here is myth number two.

Detox diets are great at removing toxins from the body.

Let me start off by saying: you have a liver and two kidneys for a reason. Our livers and kidneys are charged with a very important task in the body and that is eliminating toxins and waste. Detox diets are popular, but there is little to no scientific evidence that detox diets do any detoxing. 

Some people claim that they feel more energetic and feel refreshed after a detox diet BUT they don’t always mention what their typical diet consists of. Detox diets usually consist of consuming raw vegetables, eating more fruits and drinking lots of water and fasting before that. If a person’s diet mainly consists of fast-food, sugars, improper hydration, very little amounts of fruits and veggies and an excessive amount of processed foods, it is no wonder that switching to fruits and veggies makes them feel more refreshed. 

Don’t start a detox diet unless your physician gives you the OK. Detox diets can sometimes severely reduce your protein intake and can lead to dangerous nutrient deficiencies. Other side effects can include bloating, nausea and vomiting. Rather than bouncing from detox diet to detox diet, try and change your general lifestyle and dieting by eating well balanced meals and staying physically active.

Next up, we have a myth related to carbs. Here is myth number 3.

Carbohydrate intake should be very limited.

I can almost guarantee you know people who are severely cutting their carbohydrate intake for weight loss purposes. They may even be on a keto diet. People typically eat a very limited amount of carbohydrates in order to push their bodies into ketosis. Ketosis is a metabolic adaptation that allows the body to survive off of ketone bodies, a type of fuel the liver produces from fat, instead of sugar or glucose from carbohydrates. In this diet, around 75% of one’s daily caloric intake should come from fat, when a regular diet typically consists of 20-35% fat. It’s all fun and games until you realize how hard it is to eat only 20-50 grams of carbohydrates a day. This is not a sustainable diet.

Yes, some weight loss will occur and naturally, blood sugar levels will drop - but keto is not sustainable. The weight will return like a boomerang once you get back to your regular eating habits.

Like any diet, you should always consult a physician before starting. Keto is not a good fit for everybody and in fact, it is harmful for certain groups. If you have a health condition involving your liver, thyroid, pancreas or gallbladder, keto could do some serious damage.

Other potential side effects of the keto diet include kidney stones, low blood pressure, certain nutrient deficiencies, constipation and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. 

On the flip side, some people focus on increasing their carbohydrate intake for their fitness. Here is myth number 4.

Carb-loading is beneficial for all types of physical activity.

What is carb-loading? If you’re an athlete you most likely know what carb loading is, but most people don’t. Well, carb loading is a nutritional strategy used by athletes to increase the glycogen stored in the body above its normal amount . This typically involves several days of eating more carbs than usual while also decreasing exercise to reduce the amount of carbs used. The pitfall is that a high carbohydrate intake can lead to digestive problems such as bloating and stomach ache. 

Carb-loading makes sense for athletes who engage in long duration physical activity such as marathons and triathlons. Carb loading is unnecessary if you’re going to run a 5k or a 10k. This applies to shorter duration activities as well, such as a quick 30-minute strength circuit. You don’t need to go out of your way to eat more carbohydrates. Chances are, you eat enough. Especially since most food items out there are filled with carbs.

It might be a good idea to check what your typical carbohydrate intake is and adjust based on your health and performance goals.

And since we’re on the sports performance topic, myth number five addresses muscles and strength. 

Taking a lot of protein supplementation will make me bulky.

I’m just going to say it: as much as I love protein, simply eating more protein won’t make your muscles big and bulky. An increased protein supplementation after strength training will yield that result. And even that doesn’t happen overnight. 

Muscle and fat are two tissues that develop differently. Yes, you can gain quite a bit of fat weight in a short amount of time, but muscle needs a lot of hard work, fuel and well-planned rest to break-down and rebuild stronger.

Bodybuilders put years worth of work into their bodies and they have specific diets they follow in order to achieve that increased muscle mass. That’s how you get bigger, stronger muscles. Muscles are demanding tissues and a caloric surplus and high protein intake is required to build and maintain strength. 

On top of that, muscles require proper hydration levels, but can you have too much? Let’s talk about it in myth number 6.

Too much water can’t hurt.

Well, I say too much can in fact hurt. Drinking too much water in a day can cause hyponatremia. The sodium levels in your blood become diluted, disrupting your body’s electrolyte balance.

Hyponatremia can be life-threatening and should be taken seriously. The symptoms of water intoxication are general and can include confusion, disorientation, nausea and vomiting. In some rare cases, water intoxication can cause swelling in the brain and become fatal. The U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine determined that an adequate daily fluid intake is about 15.5 cups (3.7 liters) of fluids a day for men and about 11.5 cups (2.7 liters) of fluids a day for women.

Different guidelines apply when it comes to physical activity and hydration. It is good practice to drink 17 to 20 ounces of water 2 to 3 hours before you start exercising. Drink 8 ounces of water 20 to 30 minutes before you start exercising or during your warm-up. Drink 7 to 10 ounces of water every 10 to 20 minutes during exercise. Drink 8 ounces of water no more than 30 minutes after you exercise. This is important because dehydration can occur as a result of physical activity and sweating. 

We have one myth left and it’s another protein myth. I bring you number seven.

A high-protein diet will cause liver or kidney damage.

We’ll take it one organ at a time and make sure we’re thorough. First, does a high protein diet cause liver damage? Unless there is pre-existing liver damage, a high protein diet should be safe, especially when adapted gradually. Of course, the word “high” is relative. Every person is different and we all have different goals. There is a bare minimum to keep things functioning and you also have recommended intake for increased performance if you’re an athlete. The important question is: what are your goals and physical activity level? 

Let’s take body recomposition for example. Body recomposition is when you try to lose fat and build muscle. As mentioned above, building muscle requires an increased protein intake. Typically it is recommended to consume around 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight when trying to build muscle. That is a safe amount of protein. You can not build muscle if your daily protein intake is at 10%. 

Next, does a high protein diet cause kidney damage? A high protein diet can accelerate kidney damage in people with pre-existing kidney disease. However, healthy individuals are not adversely affected. And my previous point stands: “high protein intake” is relative. What’s normal for me could be high for you and vice-versa. Adjust your macronutrient intake based on your health and fitness goals. Nutrition and fitness work hand-in-hand and should be treated that way. They are tools that should be used together whether it is for weight loss purposes, muscle building, building endurance or simply lowering your chances of developing cardiovascular disease.

Before we end this episode and I let you guys go, I’d just like to emphasize the importance of facts. It is easy to fall for false information, especially when you hear stories. 

I believe a lot of these myths come from people sharing their experiences but omitting certain details. Sure, a detox diet might have helped your best friend feel refreshed but was her diet mainly made up of processed foods? Look at the full picture. Our bodies are way too complex to simply look at one factor alone when tackling a nutrition question. Ask a professional and see what works best for YOU.

I hope you enjoyed this episode and learned something new! Stay informed and share this episode to help clear out some confusion! Until next time!