Nutrition Myths part 1

There are many myths and wives tales that I’m sure you have heard by that guy in the gym claiming to know what’s best for us. I like to give as informed an opinion as possible on the related topic, as the human body is rarely an exact science.

This is the first of a three part series on trying to undo misinformation that you may have encountered in the past.

No.1 -  Don’t eat fat and you won’t get fat
If you consume more calories than you burn, you’ll stimulate fat storage even if your fat intake is low. Excess carbs can be stored as bodyfat once liver and muscle glycogen levels are saturated. Likewise protein that isn’t used for tissue synthesis can also be stored as bodyfat. So unfortunately you can gain bodyfat in more than one way!
Try to avoid excess dietry fat as it holds 9 calories per gram compared with 4 calories per gram of carbs or protein. You should try to get 15 – 20% of your daily calories from fat and obviously consume slightly less than you burn.

No.2 – All fat is bad
Not true, your body requires certain types of fat, such as essential fatty acids (EFAs), that your body can’t make on its own. These EFAs are the building material for hormones and are essential to support normal metabolism, so basically you need fat to burn fat!
Examples of omega 3 fatty acids are flaxseed oil, evening primrose oil and many types of cold water fish, which improve glucose tolerance.

No.3 – You can make up for eating too much one day by eating a lot less the next
Consuming too many calories in one day will stimulate fat storage. Trying to make up for a ‘bad-eating day’ by slashing your calorie intake the next day will always fail; low calorie dieting, even for a day, will slow your metabolism (burning fewer calories) and drain your body of energy, making it difficult to exercise at full capacity. When you have a bad day, don’t punish yourself, just get back normal the next day.

That concludes part 1, please let me know if you have any questions and click on the link below if you want to have a look at other bulletins:

http://www.ncfitness.co.uk/useful%20newsletters.php

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