Each month, we host a group coaching session within our Facebook Group and post the notes here for your reference. You can check out the video here.
This month we asked our Facebook Group members to tell us the biggest nutrition myths they had heard so we could clarify the information for them! They came back with some nutrition myths that were wilder than we could have imagined – I hope the info below helps you if you’ve heard them too.
- I’ve read somewhere that coffee on an empty stomach ruins your metabolism. I drink coffee every morning before eating – should I stop?
There is not much that could ‘ruin’ your metabolism. The mechanism for coffee is that it is a stimulant so it’s going to fire you up!! It doesn’t make anything stop working or cause any processes in your body to shut down.
It can curb your appetite though so it may mean that if you have it first thing in the morning, you are not hungry for your breakfast and may skip breakfast altogether. This could be detrimental to appetite regulation as you may feel extra hungry later in the day.
- Fruit can spike your blood sugar. So it is best to have with a fat. eg. Nuts or yoghurt.
Sugar has carbs in it so yes, your blood sugars will go up BUT it also has lots of fibre which slows down the digestion so it won’t necessarily ‘spike’. It’s also good to know that unless you have diabetes, a spike in blood sugar is a normal thing to happen after eating and isn’t always bad thing.
Depending on your goals, adding extra fat in your diet just to counter act the ‘spike’ in blood sugars may also be detrimental. It will be adding extra calories in your day so may cause your weight to increase as well.
- All vinegar is actually bad for you and can ”Pickle” your organs.
This is definitely not true. Vinegar is fine to consume and has been shown to lower blood sugar in diabetics. It also tastes great so please continue using it!
- The ONLY way to lose weight is to cut out all carbs! I hear this weekly from someone in the medical profession….
This is absolutely not true but for some reason, people are still promoting this myth. Research has shown us that energy intake (calories) is what matters when it comes to losing weight. You need to be consuming less energy that your body requires. It has also been shown that when energy and protein are matched, it doesn’t matter if you have a higher fat diet or a higher carbohydrate diet when looking to lose weight – both work! Therefore, do whichever you prefer and feel free to change it up based on what you feel like that day.
- Almond milk is healthier than cow’s milk
Almond milk is not healthier for you than cow’s milk. Many people believe this because it have very low calories but that doesn’t mean it is better for you. One of the main benefits that you miss out on with almond milk is the protein! It can help to fill you up for longer, help with muscle repair and can contribute significantly to your protein requirements each day. If you enjoy the taste of almond milk then absolutely keep consuming it – as long as you aren’t doing it because it is better for you.
- Fruit is bad for you
No… no and no!! Fruit is not bad for you and there are no particular fruit that you need to avoid because they are high in sugar. Fruit does have sugar in it, but it also has so many other great things as well including fibre, vitamins and minerals. Fruit is nutritious and should be included daily in the diet – don’t let anyone tell you otherwise!