Breaking down the myths
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There are many diet myths out there, the question is are they accurate? Do they work?
Coast Sport Sports Dietitian Ali Redman discuses 5 common myths below.
1. Not eating after 7pm speeds up weight loss
No matter when you eat, if you take in more energy (kilojoules/calories) than your body needs, your body will store the excess in fat.
It can be useful to not leave dinner till too late in the evening as most people will usually be hopping into bed, the idea behind this could be that you have more opportunity to burn off energy from your food from eating earlier in the day.
2. Don’t eat before a work out to burn more fat
This is debatable, fasting may lead to greater rate of fat burning but eating breakfast can lead to 20% greater total exercise energy expenditure compared to fasting. Not eating before a workout could be good for less intense exercise (e.g. walking) but eating may be desirable for more energy consuming workouts (e.g. weight lifting).
3. Green tea speeds up metabolism
Small benefits for weight loss, but results need to be interpreted with caution due to the poor quality of studies. There are no miracle foods that will speed up your metabolism, however by drinking plenty of water (with the tea) during the day can give you a sense of fullness, therefore reducing the need to snack as regularly.
4. Organic is better than non-organic
The nutritional value does not change between the two, and consuming organic food does not eliminate pesticides, so base decision purely on beliefs, sustainability, supporting a local farmer.
Yes, there are usually less (recent studies say ~30%) pesticides compared to conventional fruit and vegetables however, it is important to aim for 5 serves of vegetables a day (organic or not) and reduce the over consumption of undesirable food choices.
5. You must eat protein within 30 minutes of a workout
Most research suggest consuming high quality protein with a good source of carbohydrate within 30 minutes of a workout enhances training adaptation by reducing the degree of muscle protein breakdown.
Your body however, is sensitive to nutrition up to 24 hours after exercise, so be consistent and make healthy choices majority of the time to get the most out of the hard work you put into your training.
Book an appointment with one of our Dietitian’s by calling 4356 2588 or book online via the button below.
Thanks to Coast Sport Dietitian Ali for preparing this blog. You can find out more about Ali here.
Helping the Central Coast Feel Well, Move Well and Perform Well!