THE 3 FOOD MYTHS YOU SHOULD KNOW
Today, we tackle 3 popular myths that get perpetuated from media to people. The goal of this isn’t to say you are wrong and I am right, rather to shed light on common fallacies that can be dangerous to us when in comes to HOW we align our behaviors with our goals. Lets dive right in, shall we?!
Myth 1: FRESH IS ALWAYS BETTER!
This all comes down to farms, shipping, and how local you buy produce.
Fresh – When found in a grocery store, fresh produce is usually ripened during transit/shipping and comes to you in the state you find it after days or weeks. When local, this is the best option as it is vine ripened and then sold to you truly fresh.
Frozen – Frozen produce is vine ripened, sometimes quickly blanched, and then frozen on site. Therefore, it retains a higher amount of nutrition in this state.
Canned – Also vine ripened but during the canning process, additives are added and the canning process itself can cause them to taste and look kind of gross. Still nutritious though!
Fresh is best when it comes from a local market or farmer as they have been vine ripened, then a variety will do!
Myth 2: THE TIME OF DAY YOU EAT MATTERS MOST!
You’ve heard ‘em all before - recommendations advising against WHEN you should eat versus WHEN you should not. Think about - no eating carbs past 6pm or don’t eat 2 hours before bed.
Typically, this type of advice exists because of two main reasons ; neither of which is because your body stops fat burning at night or when we sleep.
Extra Calories - When you eat late at night, you are eating extra calories that you wouldn’t have eaten otherwise. These are calories in addition to your regular meals. If you ate these calories any other time of day, they would still be extra calories and would have the same effect.
Snack foods - Usually, the foods we reach for at night aren’t salads but are snack foods – chips, dessert, processed foods.
Eating late at night does NOT result in weight gain because calories you consume after 6pm or after dinner are these rare types of calories that count as more. Eating at night can commonly lead to weight gain strictly based on the type of foods you are choosing (processed over whole, real foods). No one binges on Netflix thinking “I would LOVE a salad right now”. It’s quite the opposite - you are opting for a bag, box or carton of something to smash. You are what we call mindless eating meaning you’re not paying attention to your body’s hunger cues (what you’re eating + how much) because you are distracted by something else (TV). This is where calories can quickly add up fast. Think about it - when’s the last time your hand hit the bottom of an empty bag of Dorito’s? We plead the fifth!
Here’s another common myth: You have to eat breakfast – Breakfast is not necessarily that important. For some, it is because it wakes the brain up and they operate better. For others, they are hungry upon first waking up. But, others again, eating breakfast is a chore with no added benefit, and can be extra calories. Eating breakfast boils down to a matter of personal preference of what works best for you and your body. Some folks can’t eat that early while others need fuel upon waking up. Do you my friend!
Myth 3: SMALLER, FREQUENT MEALS BOOSTS YOUR METABOLISM
This one is understandable, but still wrong. When we eat, we burn calories based on the size of the meal. Eating 2,000 calories over 3 meals compared to eating those same 2,000 calories over 6 meals, means I’m eating the same number of calories. Regardless of if it’s 3 meals or 6, 2,000 calories is 2,000 calories. HOW you’re eating meals (6 smaller vs. 3 larger) doesn’t impart how your body breaks down and burns calories.
When eating smaller meals more often – we have constant small hikes in metabolism.
When eating bigger meals less often - Instead of constant small hikes, you might have fewer bigger spikes.
The hikes equal out to be the same as long as total intake remains the same. Your body/metabolism don’t know the difference between 2,000 calories over 6 meals versus 2,000 calories over 3 meals so smaller meals won’t boost your metabolism all other things constant.
To learn more about these 3 popular food myths - click the video now. Coach Matt’s got all the details you want + need to make sure your eating habits match your goals!
Smooches