7 misconceptions about nutrition

In our daily lives we are sometimes able to commit « nutritional mistakes ».

Let’s go back to good and new bases, let’s go to detect the truth of the wrong !

1 – I allow myself to eat what I want because I play sports

Frequently when we assume to eat what we want we also assume eating junk food. We notice that the healthiest people are those who play sports with goals in mind: feel better about themselves, get fit, energize their lifestyle …

The category of people who play sports to hide their « unhealthy » lifestyle does not last long on their sport involvement and enters a vicious circle. It only takes one wound or a life-changing to give up sports and gain weight. Eating balanced and playing sports with a minimum of awareness is the best option.

2 – Sugar is the biggest contributor to weight gain

Carbohydrates, better known as sugar, are the fuel of our body. They give us energy to perform our exercises.

Sugar is necessary for the proper functioning of our body and does not affect weight gain. On the other hand, what must be avoided are foods with a high glycemic index. It’s easy to identify them because most of them are industrialized (processed) sweet foods such as beer, bread, white pasta, corn-flakes, cakes, pastries, sodas … you must give priority to low GI foods such as certain fruits, green vegetables, basmati rice, tubers (eg sweet potato), whole grains …

It is important to include carbohydrates in your diet because muscles must be filled with glycogen.

Be aware that people who prioritize high carbohydrate and low protein diet are hungry faster.

3 – To lose weight you have to eat less calories

If you drastically change your diet you tell your body that something is wrong. In stressful situations your body defends itself as it can and you generate metabolic complications that will make it more difficult to lose fat (or even easier to gain).

In addition, you risk losing muscle mass, which is valuable to you!

If you have headaches, tiredness, bad mood and decreased sports performance it means that your calorie deficit is not suitable.

Know that nutritionists recommend reducing your calorie intake from 300 to 500 calories a day. Bear in mind that all of this is about mathematics. In fact, you get fat when you eat more than you consume therefore practice regular physical activity and eat healthy should be enough to find your balance.

4 – Eating late at night makes you fat

What makes you fat is to eat badly in the evening. Therefore, we must avoid processed foods rich in sugars such as pasta, sandwiches, pizzas … Also avoid « heavy » foods because the body must provide a lot of effort for digestion and you will have trouble sleeping.

5 – Fatty foods are to be removed from your diet

Fats are necessary to maintain hormone levels, properly assimilate vitamins and contribute to the proper use of proteins. It is therefore strongly recommended not to remove fat from your diet. Even more reassuring, fat does not secrete insulin (the hormone responsible for storing fat) and gives you the feeling of satiety (you therefore ingest fewer calories) but…be careful! Saturated fats (coconut, butter, bacon, cream, cheese) and trans (margarine, chips, pastry …) are to be avoided.

6 – Fresh products are more nutritious than frozen products

It is obvious that we feel more reassured when we buy fresh food. But when you buy a fresh fruit, biologically, it is no longer. Indeed, the degradation of the fruit begins at harvest so you can imagine that after all the transportation it is impossible, nowadays, to buy a 100% fresh product. Contrary to popular belief, frozen products can have a good nutritional value because they are often picked at maturity (complete development of vitamins and minerals) and freezing guarantees their nutritional value.

7 – Fruits contribute to weight loss

Not all ! Remember that fructose (fruit sugar) does not store in the muscle!

Preferably choose vegetables and fruits with low Glycemic Index (Grapefruit, red fruits, tangerines, pears, apples, figs, oranges) rather than high GI fruits (dates, melons, chestnuts, watermelons …).