PinkStrawberries
Bluelighter
Sports Nutrition Myths Busted
As a personal trainer, and someone who finds a great deal of personal satisfaction in enlightening others as to how to be more healthy, I thought I would call out some of the popular myths in hopes that it might be of some use to anyone who reads. Enjoy
Myth 1
More protein = more muscle.
The truth:
Only athletes who are involved with muscular endurance training (marathon runners for example) will benefit from protein; however loading up on it still isn’t necessary. Heavy muscular endurance trainers can simply adjust their diet, 15%-20% of calories from protein being best. The reason for this is because the body may have a reduction in protein stores due to heavy training. As for the rest of us, we get plenty of protein from our diet and eating more of it will not make your muscles grow stronger or bigger. I repeat protein will not increase muscle size or strength. There is no evidence supporting consumption of excess protein will increase muscle size/strength; in fact, the body will store excess protein to fat. Excess protein also causes dehydration, and added stress on kidneys and liver.
Myth 2
Eating candy bars and drinking soft drinks before competing will provide you with a burst of energy.
The truth:
Consuming products high in sugar content within an hour of competition will cause the body’s insulin levels to spike. This causes the sugar in the blood to be removed to quickly consequentially causing one to feel weak and tired (i.e.,rebound hypoglycemia). Foods high in carbs are ideal. Suck it up and eat those cardboard tasting nutrition bars. They’re good for you. Eat the ones that say “Great source of protein!” or something along those lines if you’re using nutritional bars as a meal replacement… but why the hell would anybody want to do that? I really like Nature Valley bars, they’re pretty tasty and loaded with protein filled peanuts. Nutragrain bars are a tasty pre-work out snack to keep energy levels consistent. For those of us who like to load up on Monsters and Red Bulls before, say… a night of dancing and sweating at a rave, you may instead consider juice, or even better, Gatorade.
Myth 3
Drinking water causes cramps.
Truth:
Deal with it. Having all that water slushing around in your stomach can cause some GI discomfort but it will pass. What’s more important: not drinking water prior and during exercise causes dehydration. Drink 4 to 8 ounces every 10-15 minutes of intense exercise. Deal with the cramps.
Myth 4
Carbohydrates will make you fat.
Truth:
Dr. Atkins, the diet guru and author of “Dr. Atkins Diet Revolution” was one of the most popular diet fads of our time. Unfortunately, those who experienced weight loss from this diet were a result of water and protein loss in muscle, not fat. We already talked about protein during myth number one. Now about carbs… Lowing or doing away with carb intake eliminates foods that provide essential nutrients, energy, and fiber. (grains, fruits, vegetables) Carbs are our main fuel, and we should get at least 55-60% of our daily calories from them. Bon apatite!
Myth 5
Vitamin and mineral supplements will provide more energy.
Truth:
No. Vitamins and minerals provide no calories thus no energy and there are no studies to back up that mega doses will supply one with more energy. We can get all the vitamins and minerals we need through a well balanced diet.
Myth 6
Drinking tea or coffee before exercise will improve performance.
Truth:
Teas and coffees contain the stimulant caffeine. There is evidence that supports caffeine will improve endurance by increasing the use of fat and sparing muscle glycogen. (MacIntosh & Wright) The extra oomph is slight and may not affect everyone. The cons of caffeine outweigh the pros anyway. Caffeine causes dehydration and also causes you to pee more which in turn causes more dehydration. For hypersensitive individuals (such as myself), anxiety is most likely to occur.
Myth 7
All natural herbs and herbal supplements are safe and will make you lose weight/increase performance/become a super hero (or hereon).
Truth:
Many of these supplements are not FDA reviewed. Since the dietary Supplement health Act was passed, dietary supplements are no longer subject to the premarket safety evaluation allowing companies to market and sell supplements with out testing the effects or safety. Diet pills are the worst scam ever, yet millions of individuals (esp women) pop the little suckers down and starve themselves silly. If any of you are currently taking a diet pill to aid in weight loss, please use your search engine and these three words: Heart Diet Pills.
Ok one more (and then I’m going to bed)
Myth 8!
If a product says “NO TRANS FATS,” then it must be true.
Truth:
Read the ingredients. While some products might claim to be free of trans fats it might not necessary be true. Here’s another word to Google… “Hydrogenation”
Unsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature. When unsaturated fats are processed via hydrogenation the result is a solid form. Hydrogenated trans fatty acids are responsible for causing high blood pressure and cholesterol. It is basically a poison. If you want to safe guard your chances of not having a heart attack when you’re older, I suggest before buying anything off the shelf to flip it over to the back, look for that little paragraph with a heap of chemicals no one knows how to pronounce, and look for the word – “hydrogenated” or “partially hydrogenated.” (There really isn’t such a thing as ‘partially’ hydrogenating something, either it is, or it isn’t)
Why would the food industry allow such a thing?
Because hydrogenation extends shelf life. Bottom line. Remember that French fry you found in your car last time you cleaned it out. Looked the same as it did when you bought it, huh? This is due to hydrogenation. Do you really want to be putting that sort of thing into your body? Think about how hard it is for your body to rid itself of something like that! If your one of those people who don’t care and eat it anyway, well... the trans fats will store happily along the inside walls of your arties for the next 51 days, which is how long it takes the body to metabolize them.
“…if a dietary supplement contains a reportable amount of trans or saturated fat, which is 0.5 gram or more, dietary supplement manufacturers must list the amounts on the Supplement Facts panel.”
http://www.fda.gov/Food/LabelingNutrition/ConsumerInformation/ucm109832.htm
So if there is less than 0.5 grams of hydrogenated trans fats in the product then the manufacturer is not required to list it, and many even go as far as to marketing it.
Thanks for reading.
Spread the truth.
Goodnight.
As a personal trainer, and someone who finds a great deal of personal satisfaction in enlightening others as to how to be more healthy, I thought I would call out some of the popular myths in hopes that it might be of some use to anyone who reads. Enjoy
Myth 1
More protein = more muscle.
The truth:
Only athletes who are involved with muscular endurance training (marathon runners for example) will benefit from protein; however loading up on it still isn’t necessary. Heavy muscular endurance trainers can simply adjust their diet, 15%-20% of calories from protein being best. The reason for this is because the body may have a reduction in protein stores due to heavy training. As for the rest of us, we get plenty of protein from our diet and eating more of it will not make your muscles grow stronger or bigger. I repeat protein will not increase muscle size or strength. There is no evidence supporting consumption of excess protein will increase muscle size/strength; in fact, the body will store excess protein to fat. Excess protein also causes dehydration, and added stress on kidneys and liver.
Myth 2
Eating candy bars and drinking soft drinks before competing will provide you with a burst of energy.
The truth:
Consuming products high in sugar content within an hour of competition will cause the body’s insulin levels to spike. This causes the sugar in the blood to be removed to quickly consequentially causing one to feel weak and tired (i.e.,rebound hypoglycemia). Foods high in carbs are ideal. Suck it up and eat those cardboard tasting nutrition bars. They’re good for you. Eat the ones that say “Great source of protein!” or something along those lines if you’re using nutritional bars as a meal replacement… but why the hell would anybody want to do that? I really like Nature Valley bars, they’re pretty tasty and loaded with protein filled peanuts. Nutragrain bars are a tasty pre-work out snack to keep energy levels consistent. For those of us who like to load up on Monsters and Red Bulls before, say… a night of dancing and sweating at a rave, you may instead consider juice, or even better, Gatorade.
Myth 3
Drinking water causes cramps.
Truth:
Deal with it. Having all that water slushing around in your stomach can cause some GI discomfort but it will pass. What’s more important: not drinking water prior and during exercise causes dehydration. Drink 4 to 8 ounces every 10-15 minutes of intense exercise. Deal with the cramps.
Myth 4
Carbohydrates will make you fat.
Truth:
Dr. Atkins, the diet guru and author of “Dr. Atkins Diet Revolution” was one of the most popular diet fads of our time. Unfortunately, those who experienced weight loss from this diet were a result of water and protein loss in muscle, not fat. We already talked about protein during myth number one. Now about carbs… Lowing or doing away with carb intake eliminates foods that provide essential nutrients, energy, and fiber. (grains, fruits, vegetables) Carbs are our main fuel, and we should get at least 55-60% of our daily calories from them. Bon apatite!
Myth 5
Vitamin and mineral supplements will provide more energy.
Truth:
No. Vitamins and minerals provide no calories thus no energy and there are no studies to back up that mega doses will supply one with more energy. We can get all the vitamins and minerals we need through a well balanced diet.
Myth 6
Drinking tea or coffee before exercise will improve performance.
Truth:
Teas and coffees contain the stimulant caffeine. There is evidence that supports caffeine will improve endurance by increasing the use of fat and sparing muscle glycogen. (MacIntosh & Wright) The extra oomph is slight and may not affect everyone. The cons of caffeine outweigh the pros anyway. Caffeine causes dehydration and also causes you to pee more which in turn causes more dehydration. For hypersensitive individuals (such as myself), anxiety is most likely to occur.
Myth 7
All natural herbs and herbal supplements are safe and will make you lose weight/increase performance/become a super hero (or hereon).
Truth:
Many of these supplements are not FDA reviewed. Since the dietary Supplement health Act was passed, dietary supplements are no longer subject to the premarket safety evaluation allowing companies to market and sell supplements with out testing the effects or safety. Diet pills are the worst scam ever, yet millions of individuals (esp women) pop the little suckers down and starve themselves silly. If any of you are currently taking a diet pill to aid in weight loss, please use your search engine and these three words: Heart Diet Pills.
Ok one more (and then I’m going to bed)
Myth 8!
If a product says “NO TRANS FATS,” then it must be true.
Truth:
Read the ingredients. While some products might claim to be free of trans fats it might not necessary be true. Here’s another word to Google… “Hydrogenation”
Unsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature. When unsaturated fats are processed via hydrogenation the result is a solid form. Hydrogenated trans fatty acids are responsible for causing high blood pressure and cholesterol. It is basically a poison. If you want to safe guard your chances of not having a heart attack when you’re older, I suggest before buying anything off the shelf to flip it over to the back, look for that little paragraph with a heap of chemicals no one knows how to pronounce, and look for the word – “hydrogenated” or “partially hydrogenated.” (There really isn’t such a thing as ‘partially’ hydrogenating something, either it is, or it isn’t)
Why would the food industry allow such a thing?
Because hydrogenation extends shelf life. Bottom line. Remember that French fry you found in your car last time you cleaned it out. Looked the same as it did when you bought it, huh? This is due to hydrogenation. Do you really want to be putting that sort of thing into your body? Think about how hard it is for your body to rid itself of something like that! If your one of those people who don’t care and eat it anyway, well... the trans fats will store happily along the inside walls of your arties for the next 51 days, which is how long it takes the body to metabolize them.
“…if a dietary supplement contains a reportable amount of trans or saturated fat, which is 0.5 gram or more, dietary supplement manufacturers must list the amounts on the Supplement Facts panel.”
http://www.fda.gov/Food/LabelingNutrition/ConsumerInformation/ucm109832.htm
So if there is less than 0.5 grams of hydrogenated trans fats in the product then the manufacturer is not required to list it, and many even go as far as to marketing it.
Thanks for reading.
Spread the truth.
Goodnight.
