Diet myths busted

Find out which commonly held myths you need to discard in order to lose weight and get in shape.

Do you ever feel like all the information out there on diets and nutrition can be overwhelming? If you’re looking to make healthier decisions when it comes to your eating habits, it’s important not to get bogged down by conflicting advice. We’re here to separate fact from fiction. We will take a look at some common myths about dieting so that you can stay informed and empowered as you make healthy choices for yourself.

A hardcore exercise regime is the only way to lose weight

Not true. Successful weight loss involves making small changes that you can stick to for a long time.

To lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you consume. This can be achieved by eating less, moving more or, best of all, a combination of both.

Eating healthier is expensive

It may seem that healthier foods are more expensive than their unhealthier alternatives. However, if you try replacing ingredients with healthier alternatives, you’ll probably find your meals will work out costing less, particularly if you can batch cook.

Carbs make you fat

Eaten in the right quantities and as part of a balanced diet, carbohydrates will not, on their own lead to weight gain. In fact, for most people carbohydrates should comprise the majority of your diet, for personalised advice use a Bio-Synergy DNA kit.

Choose the right ones, whole grain and wholemeal carbohydrates such as brown rice and wholemeal bread, and potatoes with the skins on to increase your intake of fibre.

Crash diets are the best way to lose weight

Crash diets are unlikely to result in long-term weight loss. In fact, they can sometimes lead to longer-term weight gain and other health related issues.

In fact, you will also be missing out on essential nutrients as crash diets can be limited in the variety of food consumed. Your body will be low on energy and may cause you to crave high-fat and high-sugar foods. This can lead to eating those foods and more calories than you need, causing weight gain.

If you are concerned about your weight, consult your GP or another healthcare professional.

Foods labelled ‘low fat’ or ‘reduced fat’ or ‘vegan’ are always a healthy choice

Be cautious. Foods labelled “low fat” have to contain no more than a specific amount of fat to legally use that label. If a food is labelled as “low-fat” or “reduced fat”, it should contain less fat than the full-fat version, but that doesn’t automatically make it a healthy choice: Check the label to see how much fat it contains. Some low-fat foods may also contain high levels of sugar. Vegan products too can b highly processed and contain a lot of artificial ingredients and be high in fat/ sugar.

Cutting out snacks can help you lose weight

Snacking isn’t the problem when trying to lose weight: it’s the type of snack.

Many people need a snack in-between meals to maintain energy levels, especially if they have an active lifestyle. Choose snacks that are low in sugar, salt and fat.

Skipping meals is a good way to lose weight

Skipping meals is not a good idea. To lose weight and keep it off, you have to reduce the amount of calories you consume and increase the calories you burn through exercise. But skipping meals altogether can result in tiredness and may mean you miss out on essential nutrients. You will also be more likely to snack on high-fat and high-sugar foods, which could result in weight gain.

Celeb & influencer diets are a great way to lose weight and get shredded

Wrong. In most cases the images that you see are at best the result of a long process of following a suitable diet & exercise regime often monitored / created by a suitable qualified professional or at worse are photo shopped. The key to achieving health and fitness is following a plan that is tailored to you specifically and the best way to get do this is to use a Bio-Synergy DNA test to get personalised plan.