There are many myths and facts about our health that can cause a lot of controversy. It now seems like we have to pick a side: it must be either this or that. Super confusing, isn’t it?
It’s so easy to Google what we think we need to get an outcome that we think we want. We will search and search until we find something that confirms our thoughts. However, keep looking and we start to see opposing thoughts that make us question what we thought we needed. Either way, by searching only for information that confirms what we think we know, or finding the opposite viewpoint, confusion or misinformation are often the result.
I firmly believe that this does such a disservice to healthy living and really confuses consumers. There is no one way for everyone. We all have different lives, goals, fitness levels, things to overcome, and enjoy different things. This is why we can each use different combinations of principles and concepts that are way more effective for us as individuals than sticking to a one-size-fits-all fad diet or exercise program (that doesn’t really fit all — or maybe even anyone).
Given that living healthy isn’t a one-size-fits-all journey, we need to bust a few myths and see facts as universal and that “rules” don’t always apply.
How we each see the world is unique, and so is our path to healthy living. It is one we have to discover for ourselves, that will come with some pitfalls and definitely some amazing triumphs, to create the exact path that leads to each of us feeling our best. Love your journey and let others love theirs.
While we all have our own paths to healthy living, and we need to figure out what works for each of us, as I mentioned earlier, there are myths, and then there are facts. Here are some “This or That” myths and facts that I hope bring some perspective to what wellness is and how it can lead you to good health; see if you can tell fact from myth. I think you will be pleasantly surprised!
This or That #1
Overeating Is Okay vs. Overeating Is Never Okay
If you are chronically overeating due to stress, unmanageable emotions or strong food cravings, then, yes, it is something that needs to be addressed. Chronic overeating can lead to digestion issues, hormonal imbalance, insulin resistance, mood disorders, and much more. The key is to remember that there is absolutely nothing wrong with you. It all boils down to just changing your mindset and your habits. Overeating is more about how we see food than what the food is and, regardless of your current habits, you aren’t alone.
Now and again, you will overeat. When out celebrating an event or holiday…it happens. You might be out with friends enjoying a meal and because you are distracted, you keep eating. It just tastes so good or it’s just there…it happens. Sometimes you are caught up in your day and just not present when eating your meal and eat too much. You may have a bad day and dive into everything when you get home…it happens. First off, this is normal human behaviour. We aren’t perfect. Having moments of overeating is different than chronically overeating. There is no shame in this and no need for guilt. Tomorrow is a new day and when you have a positive healthy mindset, this won’t phase you! Don’t let anyone, including yourself, make you feel bad about this. Your health is a journey you walk every day. When you focus on the right goals, like having more energy, creating healthy habits and happiness instead of focusing on weight-loss, the shame and guilt goes away.
This or That #2
Food Journalling and Counting Calories Is the Devil vs. Food Journalling and Counting Calories Is the Only Way to Lose Fat and Get Healthy
I believe that food journalling and tracking food intake have their purpose IF your coach is using it as a tool to create the right nutritional approach for you. However, being very rigid and controlled for long periods of time when it comes to eating creates a reliance on the tools, which can alter your ability to be intuitive and mindful. It can start creating a poor relationship to food.
I use journalling to get my clients thinking and feeling more present in what they are eating. They start seeing habits that keep them stuck in a bad place, that they get bloated after eating a certain food, that they aren’t getting enough fibre or protein, or that they’re not getting enough vitamins and minerals. This leads them to altering meals based on how they feel, and is not just about numbers. It is a great awareness tool to get them transitioning into a more mindful eating approach. Most of us have lost that connection to our bodies. Getting back on track in terms of the ability to intuitively know and feel what you need is not easy. Most people won’t know what to look for or the how, who and why around food until they track their eating habits for a while. We often just focus on what we are eating. We are told it is healthy so, regardless of how it makes us feel afterwards (bloating, etc.) we continue to eat it; the same goes for foods we love. We don’t often stop and ask why we are eating: is it emotional or physical hunger? We also don’t pay attention to who we are when we eat. You may eat when you are overly distracted, stressed or sad, which will turn off your rest and digest nervous system cycle. This will change how you assimilate your food and cause negative affects afterwards — low energy, bloating, lowered immunity, to name a few.
You can get healthy and create a feeling you want without having to track every little thing you eat for life. There is no one nutritional approach for everyone. Becoming more mindful, present, and in tune with what you eat allows you to live your life without creating restriction and exclusion.
You can’t screw it up!
The goal is to learn how to know what your body needs, stop restricting foods and feeling shameful for wanting what you want. Counting calories and macronutrients, and worrying about everything we put in our mouths, creates a sense of failure over and over again. This isn’t the healthiest approach to food and your relationship to it.
This or That #3
A Health Transformation Shouldn’t Be About Fat Loss vs. A Health Transformation Has to Be All About Fat Loss
I agree that focusing solely on fat loss as your reason for becoming healthy is the wrong approach, but when you implement healthy action steps, start eating healthy and moving more, one of the outcomes of this could be fat loss. It shouldn’t be the main focus, but may be an outcome. No one should feel bad in any way about how their bodies look when they lead a healthy life. We need to be okay with how our bodies transform and what others do as well – how they look and how they choose to live healthily.
Mental, emotional, and spiritual health is part of growth and healthy living, and this includes how you react to others. No matter how they look or how they choose to approach their bodies, it is of no concern to you; it does not affect your body or path to health.
I also firmly believe, as mentioned above, that when you start on a health journey, it has to be about just that, your health. Not a number on a scale or how you look. Focusing on your weight or how you look sets you up for failure, because once you reach that goal, you still aren’t satisfied. You restrict and create a journey you hate that isn’t sustainable. This can put you right back where you started. Just remember, one of the outcomes of a health journey may be fat loss, but focus more on how you feel. Focus on healthy action steps that create positive new habits. Your body will do exactly what it needs to do. Don’t let anyone make you feel bad about your outcomes.
You can’t eat or move your way to someone else’s body. So love yours in a way that has you treating your body with the respect it deserves.
This or That #4
You Lack Willpower When You Overeat vs. You Don’t Need Willpower to Eat Mindfully
The best definition of willpower is energetic determination — optimism, motivation, and confidence.
When we tell someone they need to suck it up and get more willpower to control themselves when it comes to what they eat, we are missing the mark. It isn’t just lack of willpower that has them in a bad relationship with food. By saying that over and over to someone, you are only making them feel worse.
It does take some energetic determination to get past self-limiting beliefs and overcome our fear of change. Willpower is always needed, but it is not the only thing that drives someone to do better. It is part of a bigger picture.
How you see your body, how you see food, your stress levels, and how you see your life are bigger factors than willpower. Creating optimism, motivation, and confidence will create more energetic determination over time.
This or That #5
You Need A High Protein Diet for Health vs. You Don’t Need A High Protein Diet for Health
Protein plays a huge role in the functioning of our bodies. We are protein, partly, and we need to consume it for many reasons. Some people do well on a high protein diet, and some people need animal protein in particular for their bodies to thrive. Other people feel terrible on a high protein diet or feel morally wrong eating animal protein. So, thinking that everyone needs to eat a lot of protein is a myth.
Amino acids, which are found in animal proteins, play a crucial role in our nervous system, body tissue repair, and much more. However, amino acids are also found in non-animal-based foods, so we can get them without animal protein.
On the other hand, I also think telling someone that they don’t need protein could result in people lacking the nutrients they need for a healthy body. If you are vegan or vegetarian, it is important to make sure you are getting in a variety of foods so you get all your essential amino acids. Knowing what foods support that and doing food rotation is a necessity.
Food combining, which means combining and eating foods with different amino acids that together make a complete protein, is a great way to make sure you get all your essential amino acids.
Finding what protein amounts you need will take some experimenting. Journal about how your body feels. Are your energy levels better or worse? Are you sleeping better?
This or That #6
There Is No Such Thing as Toxic Overload from Food vs. Avoid All Foods That Aren’t Organic and “Whole”
If our bodies functioned perfectly in the modern world, we would have the capability to filter out all toxins that we come into contact with. Unfortunately, with environmental toxins, depending on where we live, on top of product-packaging toxins, drugs, and toxins on food, it all adds up. Your liver and organs can only process and eliminate so much! After a while, they just can’t keep up (an example would be using too many medications or dietary supplements). So yes, we can get toxic overload from food when it is added to everything else we are exposed to. Some things we can’t avoid, but we need to work on the things we can avoid, like what we eat, drink, expose ourselves to, and put on our skin.
On the other side of it all, it isn’t going to harm you to eat some foods now and again that aren’t necessarily fresh, whole foods, because it is how we live our lives in general, everything that we are exposed to and consume, that leads to a build-up of toxins. All we can do is our best to avoid overuse and over-consumption of things that will build up toxins in our bodies. Choose your foods wisely, indulge now and again. Watch what you put on your skin, stay hydrated, eat your fibre and focus on the 80/20 rule of eating (where 80% of the time you make healthy choices).
As you can see, there are many ways to practice wellness and you must find out what works for you and creates harmony in your wellness journey. The end goal is always good health. But as you know, wellness doesn’t begin and end with food, so look for Busting Myths Part 2 on exercise and movement, coming up soon!
