7 Nutrition Myths Busted
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Lately, I have been noticing you all loving the more technical facts about nutrition, so I thought we could nerd out a little bit in this episode and talk about a few most common nutrition myths and debunk them!
And if you struggle to break your conditioning around what you believe about food, the first step I recommend is to count your macros. It really solves everything I discussed in this episode.
If you don’t know how to count your macros or don’t know what your macros should be, I also recommend my Macro Counting Made Simple Online Academy where I literally give you a step-by-step guide on how to count macros + I personally calculate your macros for you AND I teach you how to do it yourself so you don’t always have to rely on someone else when it comes to your nutrition and health.
You can get instant access now by heading over to www.macrocoutningmadesimple.com
TRANSCRIPT:
Hey there beautiful human, you're listening to Embrace Your Real with me, Julie Ledbetter. A podcast where I empower you to just be you. With each episode, I dish you a dose of real talk and actionable advice for building your confidence, honoring your body and unconditionally loving your authentic self. Stay tuned if you're ready to embrace your real. Let's get it. Let's go.
Hello and welcome back to another episode of the Embrace Your Real podcast. I'm so incredibly grateful that you are here spending some time with me today. Lately, I have been noticing that you guys have been loving getting more technical about nutrition. So I thought that I could nerd out a little bit in this episode and talk about some of the most common nutrition myths and debunk them. But before I dive in, I had to share this super sweet review. It comes from [Joe Dez, 00:00:57] 14. She says "So inspirational. Ever since I started listening to this podcast after my sister recommended it to me, I have had such a better outlook on my body, my eating habits and my life overall. Struggling with failure and perfectionism has always been something I've dealt with and Julie gives the best tips and tools to build my strength and confidence as a woman, Julie, you are a blessing."
Thank you so much. This is such a perfect example of how impactful you just sharing this podcast with your friend or your sister or your coworker can be in their life. And I genuinely appreciate every single one of you guys who hit subscribe, make sure you're subscribed so that you never miss an episode, and second, leave a review. It really does help us out. So if you do have an Apple device, an iPad, a MacBook, an iPhone, go to the podcast app, search "Embrace Your Real." Be sure to hit that beautiful purple subscribe button and also click that rate and review. It takes less than 30 seconds, but it truly does help the growth of this podcast. Thank you in advance. All right, let's dive into these seven nutrition myths.
Myth number one: meal and nutrient timing is the most important. Now in short, this myth is believed way too often. You need to stop focusing on when you should be eating and start focusing on what and how much you're eating, because when you truly eat makes less than a 3 to 5% difference in your overall results. Plus if you don't even know how to properly nourish your body, it's truly pointless and you're making it way more complicated than it needs to be. So trust me when I say, if you do know how to properly nourish your body, you shouldn't be worrying about timing. For example, so many people obsess over carb and protein replenishment after a workout. That's the number one thing that I hear and sure there have been studies done to show the benefits of this. But if you look closer at the studies, a lot of them are greatly flawed. For example, some of the studies are looking at low distance endurance athletes, which only makes up a tiny fraction of the population.
And for protein, it's so much more effective to focus on eating moderate protein each meal to ensure that you hit your overall protein goals for the day, not just directly after your workout. If eating more carbs and protein after a workout makes you happy, go for it. But don't think that it's going to make or break your results and don't overstress about this. Instead. I want you to focus on consistently fueling your body optimally and letting that be the main focus, because I've seen so many people that can't even do that. And they're stressing about these little tiny things that are going to make a tiny fraction of a difference versus really trying to implement fueling your body consistently.
Myth number two: you can make up for anything with supplements. This is simply one of the largest nutrition lies out there. And I have always dished this real to you. I personally do use supplements, but I also believe that you can 100% see results in your health and fitness journey without a protein supplement, without any other supplement. Really like a pre-workout, you don't even need pre-workout. If you want caffeine, you can have coffee, you can have an energy drink. I prefer to get my caffeine through a supplement, but I'm telling you that it is not necessary. If the foods you're eating daily, aren't giving you the nutrients that you need, supplements aren't going to just magically fix this. Supplements are supposed to supplement a diet where you are nourishing your body with what it needs. Supplements are not something that you should rely on to bring you the health that you are looking for. But unfortunately, the diet industry has convinced us that we have to have all these supplements because you can make so much money off of supplements.
And again, I am not here to bash supplements. I personally work with a supplement company. I love the option to have a protein, but just know that in and of itself, the global dietary supplement market is valued at $140.3 billion in 2020, which is so insane. So please remember that you don't have to be spending all the money on supplements if you can truly hit your protein, carbon, fat, allotment goal, or your caffeine if you prefer to have caffeine, through other ways. You can really hit your protein goal by having nutrient dense foods that you're eating. So instead of thinking that you have to spend hundreds of dollars a month on certain supplements, I want to encourage you to go back to the basics; learn how to nourish your body with what it needs. Of course, like I said, there are a few supplements that I take because there are a few vitamin and minerals that I struggle to get enough in, in my daily intake, but that's not going to be true for everyone.
But at the same time, most supplements that we're being sold and sold too on Instagram or even if you walk into a nutrition store like GNC, they're not worth it, plain and simple. I want to make sure you are doing your research. I really want to make sure you go on to examine.com. If you have a question, literally that website is so incredibly helpful and it's the best route to always, either go there, ask your doctor and/or physician, instead of listening to the Instagram influencer that's trying to sell you something, just because they told you to. So all in all, I just want to remind you that you are in control. I want you to feel empowered to know exactly what you want to take. Not because you have to, but because you want to.
Myth number three: all sugar is bad. So first I want to set the record straight. All sugar is not bad. It drives me insane when people are afraid to eat fruit because of the sugar. Our bodies need a balance of nutrients including sugars to thrive. Just how high blood sugar is not good, same with having too low of blood sugar. Here's the thing: the amount is everything. Just like anything that we talk about, the amount of what you're consuming is important. If you are only eating sugar, then yeah that's probably not the healthiest route that you can go, but the same is true if you ate protein all day long without eating anything else. You can definitely overconsume protein. Sugar isn't bad if you're staying within a proper range for the day. Sugar is a carb so it just gets worked into your carb allotment each day. If you're curious for some more natural sugars, coconut sugar, raw stevia, dates, monkfruit, black strap molasses, honey and other fruits are just a few of the naturally sugary foods that also happen to be packed with nutrients that our body needs as well.
All in all though, I want you to remember to not fear sugar, just consume it in moderation. And that's one thing that I always tell people, because so many people, they completely go into this all or nothing mentality and they completely cut out sugar. And I'm thinking, is that going to be realistic? Yeah, maybe it might be realistic for three months, even six months, maybe even a year. But what about five years or 10 years? Are you truly never going to eat sugar again? Instead, I want to encourage you to take that time and energy that you would be spending on this all or nothing mentality, and really devote it to creating a healthier relationship with sugar instead of just cutting it out.
Myth number four: too much protein is hard on the kidneys and liver. I've heard this a lot. Here's the truth. Protein is a key playing in every living cell in our body and every process in our body. If you have healthy kidneys eating extra protein isn't likely going to damage them. They're simply going to work harder to process the protein, which is not detrimental to your health at all. Yes, there have been some studies showing that taking in too much protein can put a strain on damaged or diseased kidneys, but the majority of the population do not fall into this category, point being as long as your kidneys are healthy, protein is extremely beneficial in our daily intake. Plus the majority of us don't even come close to getting the amount of protein that we actually need each day, let alone overdoing it.
So I don't want you again, to think too much into this. And instead focus on trying to get 0.7 to one gram of protein per pound of body weight. I prefer one gram of protein per pound of body weight. Again, that's just what I prefer. That's how I feel best fueled. And I do take one protein shake a day to supplement 30 grams of protein that I wouldn't normally get from nutrient dense food. So again, it's going to vary from person to person, but all in all too much protein is not going to be detrimental on healthy kidneys and liver.
Myth number five: carbs and fat make you gain weight. Oh my gosh if I had a nickel for every time that I heard this, I would be a billionaire y'all. No, I'm just kidding, but really carbs and fat do not make you fat. This is a myth that I bust all the time, but I know that this is something that so many of us have been drilled into our head for years and years by diet culture. And so I'm just going to keep repeating it to you until it finally sticks. Under eating on carbs and fat can and most likely will trigger you to actually store fat. Your body requires dietary fat, the fat that you eat in the process of burning fat. Without this dietary fat, you make the process so much slower for your body and your body needs carbs to build muscle. And you know what you do when you actually build muscle? You burn more calories and fat.
So please, please, please stop obsessing about low carb, low fat foods, and simply just start paying attention to how many carbs and fats are in foods, because there is a certain amount that your specific body needs based on where you're at, what your goals are, what your activity level is and it's encouraged that you eat that amount daily. And if you do, number one, you're going to feel so much happier in your life. And two, you're going to see the results you want and you'll actually be able to sustain them. Trust me, when I say I spent years, years, even a decade limiting my carb and fat allotment. And if I would have only known that that simple tweak could have helped me, literally it could have helped change. And if I would have known that sooner, I would have saved so many years of thinking that I can't have carbs and fats or that carbs and fats in and of itself, make me fat.
Myth number six: smoothies and juices will help you lose weight. People have a tendency to overlook the macros in their drinks. They think because it's a liquid or because it has healthy on the front of it, that it's actually going to be healthy or help them lose weight. Many people also think that smoothies and juices are packed with "healthy things" therefore making it the healthiest option for their body. I personally always make my protein shake at home. I'm not saying that you have to do that, but I am here to tell you that there are some smoothies out there that easily contain 700 calories. And that's in like a small or a medium. Which number one, it's just like dried fruit. So if you put something in the blender, it's going to be a lot easier and faster to consume rather than sitting down peeling the banana and literally eating two bananas.
And oftentimes I've seen places put two, three, four tablespoons of peanut butter on top of all of these other things, fancy things even, into this smoothie. And it can be upwards of 700, 800, I've seen smoothies like 1500 calories and you would never know unless you looked at it. And here's the thing. Typically, even though it's going to be like a 1500 calorie smoothie, it's in a liquid form so you're actually not going to feel as full as if you sat down at a restaurant and had some appetizer and then had a full entree and then some bites of a dessert. That typically is going to be around 1500 calories, depending on what you're eating. And you're going to feel a lot more satisfied and satiated because it's actual food. So just keep that in mind.
There are so many things that can just be hidden in smoothies and drinks that can cause you to over indulge for what your body needs. So again, my piece of advice is to really just learn these things, learn the tool of looking at the nutrition value in certain foods, and then eat the amount that your body needs in terms of protein, carbs, and fats, and see, just see the difference as to how you feel versus just blindly eating all of these things not having any comprehension, and then feeling frustrated that you're having this healthy smoothie, but you're still not losing weight. Oftentimes it's because you're overindulging for what your body needs. And you might not even know it.
Myth number seven: skinny equals healthy. Just because you are getting skinnier does not mean you are getting healthier. Hello, wake up, we're in 2021. I'm sure you've heard this before a time or two, especially if you've listened to this podcast for more than four episodes, I'm sure I have said this, but these two things are not the same. And just because someone else is getting skinnier, I please, please please know that you don't know what's going on behind the scenes. And I don't want you to just think that because you're seeing someone get smaller, that automatically means that they're getting healthier, because that is not always the case. Remember that our health is what is ultimately most important. Being healthy is what brings happiness into our lives and allows us to live our best life. Being skinny alone without your health does not. So if you're focusing on losing weight, please make sure that you focus on your health first. And always, always, always prioritize being healthy over skinny, because depending on your approach, being skinny can actually come at the cost of your health. Never forget that.
Okay, so there you have it. Those are the seven myths that I debunked in today's episode, and I'm going to recap them. Number one: meal and nutrient timing is not the most important approach. Number two: you do not need to spend so much money on supplements. Number three: you can eat sugar, not all sugar is bad. Number four: protein will not damage your kidneys and liver especially if they are healthy and functioning properly. It's very, very rare that you're going to overeat on your protein goal and you would have to do that day after day, significantly amount to even begin to start thinking about that. Number five: carbs will not make you fat or make you gain weight. They and of itself, do not make you gain weight. It is the over-consumption for what your body needs consistently that could cause weight gain. Number six: smoothies and juices will not always help you lose weight. And number seven: skinny does not equal healthy.
If you are struggling with any of these. If you're struggling to break your conditioning around what you believe around food, and you haven't already heard about macro counting or tried it, I want to be the first to tell you that macro counting in and of itself has simply transformed so many aspects of my life. I'm a firm believer in macro counting, in teaching you the fundamentals of feeling empowered and educated around food. I feel like so often people, they try to put a bandaid over it. They try to just go straight into intuitive eating without having any sort of concept of food and it fails. And they immediately feel discouraged because they just don't comprehend the amount of food that their body needs, what it feels like to be properly fueled with the protein, carbs and fats.
And that's exactly why we created our Macro Counting Made Simple online academy. So if you're confused, if you feel overwhelmed, if you want to feel empowered around food, I want to encourage you to check out my Macro Counting Made Simple online academy. I give you a step-by-step guide as to how to start to implement this into your life. And trust me when I say that this has been one of the most transformative things in so many women's lives that I worked with over the last seven and eight years. It has been incredible to watch. And even though I personally don't count macros every single day of my life, it is still a tool that I have in my toolbox that I can go back to because I took the time to educate myself, because I took the time to feel empowered around food because I was educated.
I believe that when you are educated about something, you feel more empowered to make your own decisions. You feel more empowered around it in and of itself. So I will go ahead and link that in the show notes, or you can head over to www.macrocountingmadesimple.com. You can learn all about it. Read testimonials. I would be honored to walk alongside you in this journey of yours. So again, be sure to click the show notes or head to www.macrocountingmadesimple.com.
That is all that I have for today's episode, but I hope that you found this helpful. I hope that you found something in this that was kind of an aha moment, or just reaffirming the beliefs that you have been really training and conditioning yourself to believe. So thank you. If you have a girlfriend, a sister, a coworker, or someone in your life that you feel like would really benefit from this episode, I ask that you share it out with them. You can copy the link, send it to them in a text message, or I always love seeing you screenshot this, post it up on your story. Be sure to tag me Julie A Ledbetter, tag Embrace Real account. We love connecting with every single one of you guys. Thank you again for tuning in and I'll talk to you in the next episode.
All right, sister, that's all I got for you today, but I have two things that I need you to do. First thing, if you're not already following me on the Gram, be sure to do so, Julie A Ledbetter. Yes, it's with an A in the middle, for that daily post-workout real talk, healthy tips and tricks and honest accountability to keep your mind and heart in check. The second thing, be sure to subscribe to Apple Podcasts to never miss an episode. Thank you so much for joining me. It means the absolute world. And I'm going to leave you with one last thought. The most beautiful women that I have met in my life are the ones who are completely confident and secure in being authentically themselves. Remember that beauty goes so much deeper than the surface. So go out there and embrace your real because you're worth it.