In this day and age of smartphones, tablets, and the Internet, it seems that everyone is an expert. When it comes to your health, there is A LOT of advice out there, and it can be difficult to determine what’s great advice and what’s just plain wrong.
To help sort through this, we did our research and investigated what advice we’ve been given throughout the years. Here’s a list of 5 pieces of advice not to take, and what you should do instead.
1. Advice: Don’t eat after a certain time at night, or else you’ll gain weight. Reality: You are not a carriage that is going to turn into a pumpkin if you eat after 8pm. Timing does play into how your eating habits impact your weight loss, because you typically eat unhealthy foods during inactive times, but eating a sleeve of Thin Mints at 3pm is just as bad for you as eating a sleeve of Thin Mints at 10pm.
2. Advice: Stop snacking if you want to lose weight. Reality: Snacking isn’t the enemy, but snacking on junk food is. Eating between meals helps keep your blood sugar up and helps you not overeat later!
3. Advice: Fat in your diet is what makes you fat. Reality: Fats actually help speed digestion, regulate blood sugar and hormones, and keep you full and energized. The key to fats is to make sure you are eating the right kind. The easiest way to make sure you’re getting the “good” fats is to eat any fat that comes in its “whole food” form such as avocados, coconut, eggs, and nuts.
4. Advice: Carbs are awful for you and you should avoid them. Reality: Carbs are your body’s main energy source! If you cut them completely, your body will get its energy from fat and you’ll feel terrible. Keep your carb intake within reason and from the right places, and carbs can be a healthy part of any diet.
5. Advice: No pain, no gain. Reality: There is no point in working out until you’re in pain. The harder you push yourself, the higher your risk for injury becomes. Aim for exerting 85% of your effort!
What’s some of the worst health advice you’ve been given? Share it in the comments below!
