Busted: Mainstream Nutrition Myths

Many of you know that I am a self-proclaimed Pinterest addict. Since I’m passionate about healthy recipes and healing nutrition, I follow many recipe and health boards and pinners. Not everyone I follow has the same nutrition philosophy as me, though. Bob Harper’s Skinny Rules list has appeared more than once in my Pinterest feed, and it never fails to thoroughly irk me. I can’t help but stage a mental debate over these rules every time I see that long yellow list.

These so-called skinny rules may lead to a temporary stress-hormone-fueled burst of weight loss, but it is not the key to real health and long-lasting weight management. Interestingly, some of these rules can actually backfire as weight gain.

1. Drink a large glass of water before every meal. No excuses.

Likely, the point here is to fill your stomach up with zero-calorie bulk, so you eat less. Bad idea.

While a small amount of water before meals can help prime the stomach for digestion, too much liquids with meals can water down the stomach acid and gastric juices. This lowers the pH of the stomach, which can lead to protein maldigestion (and that, in turn, leads to a leaky gut, food allergies, and insufficient neurotransmitter production). Read my post on how to heal stomach acid naturally for more info.

2. Don’t drink your calories.

We should absolutely avoid things like soda and pasteurized fruit juices (although freshly pressed fruit  juices are full of vitamins and beneficial enzymes). Raw milk and homemade raw yogurt, however, are caloric beverages but are a fantastic source of nutrients and enzymes. So they absolutely have a place in the diet.

3. Slash your intake of refined flours and grains.

I do agree with this point, as my body has drastically healed while following a grain-free diet. Just remember: don’t fear carbs of natural sugars.  And many people can tolerate properly prepared (soaked or fermented) grains. I will discuss this in Point 10.

4. Get 30 to 50 grams of fiber each day.

This absolutely boils my blood. DO NOT force yourself to consume copious amounts of fiber in the name of satiation of regularity. The body can thrive with very little fiber, and excessive fiber damages the digestive tract and actually harms metabolism. Read my post Is a High Fiber Diet a Health Hazard?

Further, eating a high fiber diet with the large amounts of water that Bob recommends can actually distend the stomach, so it requires gradually more and more food to feel full (Source).

Remember, constipation is a SYMPTOM of poor digestion and/or a stressful lifestyle. Address the root causes of constipation instead of using harmful amounts of dietary fiber to correct bowel movements. This may include reducing stress, removing processed foods, reducing and/or eliminating grains, increasing good dietary fat, correcting stomach acid levels and more. Here are natural steps to correct constipation that may be a helpful “band-aid.”

5. Eat apples and berries every day. Every. Single. Day.

There are so many things wrong with this seemingly innocent suggestion:

• Most berries are extremely high in oxalates, which can be a problem for those with leaky guts, autoimmune issues, arthritis, or inflammatory issues. Read my post Oxalates: The Grain Free Diet Trap for more details.
• Many berries are also goitrogens, meaning they suppress thyroid function and they should be eaten in moderation by those with hypothyroid issues.
• Raw apples are very high in pectin, which can be very hard to digest.
• Apples and many berries are high on the Dirty Dozen list for pesticides. Buy them organic or avoid them.
• Berries and apples are seasonal foods. I believe it is important to work towards a local, seasonal diet to support our environment and family farmers.

6. No carbs after lunch.

Protein should be consumed with a source of carbs for proper blood sugar regulation and digestion. Protein stimulates insulin, which stimulates for our muscle cells to assimilate amino acids. If sugar isn’t eaten to balance protein, insulin will pull sugar our of the blood, causing a sharp drop in blood sugar. A serving of starchy vegetables or a piece of fruit eaten with meals provides satiating carbs.

Finally, that just sounds miserable. Meals should be balanced and delicious, and it’s kind of impossible to have a really delicious meal without any carbs. Delicious meals are also more satiating than a bland protein and veggies combo.

8. Learn to read food labels so you know what you are eating.

Actually, there is LESS of a chance you will know what you are eating if you are eating something that has a food label. Shop for food that does not have a food label. Try searching your farmer’s market for local produce, pastured eggs, and grassfed meats. If you know the source, then you will know what you are eating.

9. Stop guessing about portion size and get it right.

I strongly advocate never eating anything “straight out of the package” to ensure you control the serving size. This means – for every meal and even snacks – to mindfully place your servings on to a plate. Don’t eat handfuls of nuts or pile chips on to a napkin and eat them in front of the TV. Often, when recovering from years of overeating, it is necessary to measure out the servings so you know that a proper serving size is. For example,

With that said, please do not obsess about calories. That leads to an emotionally-draining relationship with food. See my post, 5 Reasons Why Calories Don’t Count.

10. No more added sweeteners, including artificial ones.

Well, there is some truth in this. We should absolutely avoid artificial sweeteners. We should also avoid natural sugar-free sweeteners like stevia and xylitol when consumed without other carbohydrates, since these may trick the body into a state of hypoglycemia (read why I quit stevia).

When trying to lose weight, I recommend sourcing carbs from fruits and root vegetables and leaving out concentrated natural sweeteners. Once you have lost weight, I recommend using small amounts of whole, natural sweeteners (in moderation) like RAW honey, pure maple syrup, dried fruits, and dates. I discuss the importance of natural sugars in my post, Sugar: Your Body Needs It.

11. Get rid of those white potatoes.

Okay, this has some truth. Potatoes belong in the nightshade family of vegetables and are a reasonably inflammatory food. White potatoes are also high in starch, a polysaccharide which is hard for those with damaged digestive tracts to digest.

But for those with healthy digestive systems and low inflammation, white potatoes can be a great source of healthy carbohydrates. Just remember to eat it with at least a tablespoon of saturated fat (like butter or coconut oil) for balanced blood sugar!

12. Make one day a week meatless.

This is fine, and it is also a great way to stretch the grocery budget. Make sure to consume enough protein at meals without meat. Rely on nourishing meatless proteins (NO tofu!) like pastured eggs (I love eggs for dinner!). Properly soaked and cooked beans or legumes are tolerated by some, but can be hard on damaged digestive tracts.

13. Get rid of fast food and fried food.

Absolutely! Although homemade fries cooked in a healthy fat like beef tallow or coconut oil is a nourishing treat.

14. Eat a real breakfast.

TRUTH. Fuel your body with a balanced meal of carbs, protein and nourishing fats in the morning.

15. Make your own food and eat at least 10 meals a week at home.

This is not well stated–I don’t know if he means that you should prepare at least 10 meals a week or prepare all your meals but take them to work, etc.

There are 21 meals in a week and I think the vast majority of those meals should be prepared at home… not just 10. I think that it is best to make lunches at home or pack lunches to work or school.

16. Banish high-salt foods

Reducing high-salt foods usually entails reducing the processed foods in the diet. And while it is absolutely a vital step for health to reduce processed food consumption, it is NOT a healthy plan to restrict sodium.

A low sodium diet is dangerous. Studies show that a reduced-sodium diet leads to health issues like systemic insulin resistance and a shorter life span. (Here are 10 more reasons not to reduce the salt!) Further, adequate salt intake is necessary to hormone regulation, metabolism and hydration. Use unrefined sea salt, since it contains trace minerals, and salt your food to taste.

17. Eat your vegetables. Just do it.

I am going to blow some minds here: sometimes, vegetables are not ideal. Raw vegetables, in particular, can actually cause further damage in a weakened and inflamed digestive tract. In cases of hypothyroidism or a severely depressed metabolism, sometimes it is preferable temporarily favor easy-to-digest, “warming” foods like raw milk and fruit. I recommend the book Eat for Heat for more info.

Cooked vegetables – cooked from scratch yourself – are a better option because they provide bulk and nutrients without excessive calories.

18. Go to bed hungry.

You know what happens when I go to bed hungry? I’m crabby and I can’t sleep well. And I would bet this happens to most people. This is another one of Bob’s rules that actually undermines weight loss: it is difficult to go to sleep while hungry, and sleep is SO essential to healthy metabolism.

Eat a small but balanced snack before bed to help maintain stable blood sugar through the night. If you frequently wake up between 2 and 4 am, it means that you are having blood sugar drops. A spoonful of coconut oil before bed along with a piece of fruit makes an ideal bedtime snack.

19. Sleep right.

Well, that’s ironic. Bob is telling us to sleep immediately after he tells us to go to bed hungry.

But he is correct about this point. Sleep is a key part in healthy metabolism. One real nonnegotiable for effective weight loss is a 10 PM bedtime. Turn off the media one hour before bed and all women should practice the Lunaception night-lighting technique.

20. Plan on one splurge meal a week.

This is another rule that I think can backfire as weight gain. I think it creates the mentality of depriving yourself for the majority of your meals… which is an unhealthy relationship with food! It may lead to the toxic Restrict and Repent cycle discussed in the fantastic book The Nourished Metabolism. Every single meal–not just a once-a-week-splurge– should leave you satiated and happy.

When it comes to supporting a healthy metabolism and maintaining your ideal weight, The Skinny Rules are not an effective solution.

Are you familiar with The Skinny Rules? What are your thoughts about them?