What Can I Eat if Everything is Unhealthy?

What Can I Eat if Everything is Unhealthy?

What Can I Eat if Everything is Unhealthy? This is a common question I’ve been hearing a lot from students and clients recently. This confusion stems from the fact that much of the mainstream information we are getting on nutrition do not come from experts or scholars but from journalists putting a doomsday, fear mongering spin on nutrition (fear sells in journalism) or from salespeople trying to push a supplement or diet program for their company. Because of this, much of the information we get on nutrition is biased or false, so before you freak out that eating apples are bad for you, ask yourself this question: Who gave you this advice? Was it a friend with no credentials on nutrition? Was it a sales representative whose job it is to push their product, or was it from a blog or news source that sites no studies or specific sources? Be careful when you hear the generic term, “experts say.” Who are these experts? Unless there is a specific study cited from a reputable scientific journal or a reputable scholar, that can mean anything. Also, studies and experiments need to be repeated many times before we really understand them, and some have more merit than others due to the way the study was conducted. Was it a double blind controlled study? Were the methods of measurement accurate? You would have to be a bit of an expert to understand why some studies are better than others.

Diet information can be run by fads. If a recent study indicates that high fat diets improve the sleep patterns of diabetics, everyone will go on that diet, even the non-diabetics, and they’ll assume it will help them lose weight, even though the study was about sleep patterns. These days it doesn’t have to be a study. It can just be something someone posted on social media that looks interesting and goes viral.

All my certifications are accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA), the gold standard in the United States for assessing professional competence. All the information I have been taught come from the most comprehensive scientific studies and advancements. I am also required to continue my education and update my certifications every year. The classes I take are taught by people with advanced degrees in the field, often by professors with Ph.ds who have dedicated their lives to science and research. However, there is a lot of crap out there. I’ve seen articles that have completely misread or made assumptions about expert advice to put a spin on things that have made me cringe.

Recently I opened an article on my browser’s home page about how nutritional experts are misunderstood. It said that we nutritionists say fiber is bad for you because it can cause gastrointestinal distress. This was taken out of context. On the contrary, fiber is an essential nutrient. We recommend that the average person get at least 20 grams of fiber each day. It can help prevent gastrointestinal disease. However, if you are an athlete who wants to take advantage of the carb boost gained from eating carbs right before or during a workout or event, it’s probably better to pick a less fibrous form of carbs so you don’t get gastrointestinal distress during your performance. The article kept saying “experts say” but it wasn’t written by a nutritionist nor did it quote any experts or site any literature.

Recently someone said to me, “if you aren’t speaking out against the quacks, you might as well be supporting them,” so I just want to clear this up to my followers.

On supplements: Fitness supplements are harmless to some, a shady business to others. Since supplements aren’t well regulated by the FDA, you can give someone a water pill and say that anything is in it. It amazes me how many people will buy anything if they are told it will help them build muscle or lose weight without even thinking about consulting their doctor. I’ve met a few people who were so sold on supplements by their gym or trainer, who got Crohn’s disease as a result and had to stop working out. I know a dietician who often meets patients with gastrointestinal problems due to the sheer number of nutritional supplements they have consumed, this includes bars and powders. Please remember that supplements are not meant to replace food.

Before you buy just any supplement, please check out the warning and regulations on the USDA’s website here:

https://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/dietary-supplements

If you are discovering my website for the first time, I recommend this blog on different types of diets for different reasons. These specific diets are the ones that have the most long standing research. Fad diets are not included here:

https://heroestraining.com/?p=999

Remember the overlooked obvious, to cut out the junk food and eat a diet rich in variety and nutrients, such as the one described in the food plate here:

https://heroestraining.com/?p=385

So you don’t get fooled by marketing found on food labels, please read my blog on how to read them with discernment here:

https://heroestraining.com/?p=824

If you’d like to follow more articles written specifically by fitness and nutritionist experts, check out my twitter page where I post articles regularly

https://twitter.com/HeroesTraining

P.S., I’m sorry I haven’t blogged in so long as this year has been extremely busy for me. I’m still here and hopefully I can post more in the future.

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