The Truth Behind the Myth
Myths, old wive's tales, urban legends, rumours...no matter what name you give them, you can't get away from everyday (mis)perceptions. In this section, we'll uncover the truth behind common myths on diet, fitness, nutrition and sports.
Index:
Protein Myths
Weight Loss Myths
Creatine Myths
Post-Exercise Recovery Myths
Fibre Myths
Exercise Myths
Protein Myths
Protein Myth #1: Carbohydrates are bad and will slow down your fitness program.
The Truth behind the Myth: There are 2 types of carbohydrates - simple and complex. Simple carbs, such as fruits, white sugar and white bread, are digested quickly, contain refined sugars and contain few, if any, essential vitamins and minerals. Complex carbs, such as vegetables, legumes and whole grains, take longer to digest and are typically full of fiber, vitamins and minerals.
Complex carbs are very important in achieving your diet and fitness goals: they help you perform at your best and research has shown that taking protein and carbohydrates together before and after your workout can increase muscle growth significantly more than taking just protein alone. Just try to limit or avoid simple carbs, with the exception of fresh fruit.
Protein Myth #2: Soy-based protein is a "woman's thing".
The Truth behind the Myth: Research has shown that men who consume soy regularly gain from soy's many health benefits, such as lowered cholesterol, lowered risk of heart disease, protection against prostate cancer and protection from bone loss.
And for those men who think soy is an inferior protein to whey, research has shown that not only does soy promote lean muscle mass, but it also inhibits some of the negative effects that training has on antioxidant production.
Protein Myth #3: Vegetarians and Vegans (veg*n) don't get enough protein in their diet.
The Truth behind the Myth: It can be hard for some non-vegetarians to understand that it is actually possible to get an adequate supply of protein in a diet without meat. Although some people consider animal protein to be the best (or the only) source of protein, there are alternatives. Vegetarian protein can be found in nuts, seeds, pulses, whole grains, soy, eggs and dairy products (and no, you don't have to eat pounds and pounds of these foods to obtain the necessary amount of protein - a diet rich in a variety of these foods will supply your body with more than enough). And there are a variety of veg*n-friendly protein supplements that can provide the extra protein needed in for an active lifestyle.
Weight Loss Myths
Weight Loss Myth #1: If you want to lose weight, you need to cut out fat from your diet.
The Truth behind the Myth: It’s not so much a matter of cutting out all fat from your diet, but which fats you eliminate. There are two kinds of fats – the ‘good’ kind and the ‘bad’ kind. ‘Bad’ fats include saturated and trans fats and are usually solid or semi-solid at room temperature, while ‘good’ fats are unsaturated and are usually liquid at room temperature. Unsaturated fats are one of the major three nutrients that your body needs to function properly. These fats are not only very good for you, and help to decrease your risk of cardiovascular disease (a risk that saturated fats increase), but they have also been shown to enhance your metabolic function. This is for a couple of reasons: 1) Healthy fats are necessary for normal hormone production, which is necessary to regulate your metabolism. 2) Healthy fats provide the most stable and slow-burning source of energy, so unlike carbohydrates and protein, healthy fat will keep your metabolism stable for longer periods of time – keeping your energy up and your hunger down.
Typically, fat from animal sources is higher than fat from vegetable sources, with the exception of palm and coconut oils, which are very high in saturated fat.
Main sources:
Monounsaturated fats - olives, olive oil, almonds, cashews and avocados. Polyunsaturated fats - corn, soybeans and fish.
Saturated fats – whole milk, butter, red meat, chocolate and coconut.
Trans fats – margarine, vegetable shortening, fried foods and most commercial baked goods.
Weight Loss Myth #2: If you want to lose weight, skip the strength training because you don’t want to ‘bulk up’.
The Truth behind the Myth: There are really two myths here to deal with. First of all, if all you had to do to ‘bulk up’ was lift a few weights a couple times a week, the sport of bodybuilding would be obsolete. If you want to really build up muscles, it takes planning, eating the right foods for muscle gain and a LOT of work and dedication - it doesn’t ‘just happen’. So if you’re looking to lose weight, but you’re worried you’ll get that ‘bulked-up’ look with strength training – don’t be…it won’t happen unless you’re consciously working towards it.
The other part of this myth is the idea that strength training is not a valuable part of a weight loss program. This could not be further from the truth! Muscle burns fat and keeps your metabolism up – the more muscle you have and the more in shape your muscles are, the more fat you’ll burn and the higher your metabolism will be – consistently. Cardio may increase your metabolism for a short period of time after working out (about an hour), but it will then go back to its ‘resting metabolism’. For weight loss, strength training is just as important, if not more so, than cardio.
Creatine Myths
Creatine Myth #1: Creatine is a steroid
The Truth behind the Myth: Creatine is NOT a steroid. This is a common misperception, but one that could not be further from the truth.
Anabolic steroids are also referred to as performance-enhancing drugs, as taking them increases muscle mass, strength and performance. They are synthetic derivatives of testosterone, a natural male hormone. While they are legally prescribed by doctors for certain conditions, such as to treat body wasting in patients with AIDS, they are an illegal and dangerous supplement in the athletic world. This has not stopped many athletes from taking them anyway, in the hopes of gaining an edge over competitors, but this ‘edge’ comes at a high cost. Side effects of anabolic steroids are numerous, including *:
- Liver tumors and cancer
- Jaundice (yellowish pigmentation of skin, tissues, and body fluids)
- Fluid retention, high blood pressure
- Increase in LDL (bad cholesterol)
- Decrease in HDL (good cholesterol)
- Kidney tumors
- Severe acne
- Trembling
For Men
- Shrinking of the testicles
- Reduced sperm count
- Infertility, baldness
- Development of breasts
- Increased risk for prostate cancer.
For women
- Growth of facial hair
- Male-pattern baldness
- Changes in or cessation of the menstrual cycle
- Enlargement of the clitoris
- Deepened voice
For adolescents
- Growth halted prematurely through premature skeletal maturation and accelerated puberty changes. This means that adolescents risk remaining short for the remainder of their lives if they take anabolic steroids before the typical adolescent growth spurt.
Creatine, on the other hand, can be found in foods we eat every day, such as in red meat and fish. As it is naturally-occurring, it is not a banned or illegal substance. Creatine does not mimic a hormone, as steroids do, but is made from certain amino acids, and does not cause the wide range of negative effects that steroids do.
The only thing that steroids and creatine have in common is why athletes take them – to increase muscle mass, strength and recovery time – but the similarities start and end there. Weider Nutrition does not sell or condone any products containing anabolic steroids.
* Taken from the National Institute of Drug Abuse website at: www.nida.nih.gov/Infofacts/Steroids.html
For more information on the dangers of anabolic steroids, read this article from ESPN.com: http://espn.go.com/special/s/drugsandsports/steroids.htm
Creatine Myth #2: Taking creatine will build muscle and burn fat, even if you don't work out.
The Truth behind the Myth: Creatine is not a magical muscle enhancer and is not a fat burner. If you take creatine, but do not work out, you will not gain any benefits from supplementation - you might as well throw away your money and save the time. Creatine is considered a great supplement for achieving bigger muscle gains by allowing you to workout harder and longer and with a faster recovery time - and because of this added intensity to your exercise, you will gain more muscle and burn more fat - but the bottom line is creatine only works if you do.
Post-Exercise Recovery Myths
Post-Exercise Recovery Myth #1: No Pain, No Gain - If you’re not sore after a workout, you didn’t work out hard enough.
The Truth behind the Myth: Soreness is not an accurate or valid measure of a good workout. Sore muscles are a common complaint in beginner exercisers, as they are using muscles which were not previously exercised. For the same reason, soreness can sometimes occur in more advanced athletes who increase their intensity or begin new sports or training. Muscle soreness can also be a sign of over training, and should be a sign to slow down and give your body the time and nutrients needed to recuperate. With proper pre and post-workout nutrition and care however, muscle soreness should not be consistent, and if it is, it may be a sign to re-evaluate your post-exercise recovery program.
For a better measure of your progress, try setting concrete goals and keeping a journal to track your development. For example, if you’re beginning a weight program, set a goal weight that you would like to lift and work towards that. If you’re starting a running program, set a goal distance and work up to it. By using quantifiable goals, you’ll accurately be able to measure how effective your workouts are, rather than guessing based on how stiff and sore you feel the next day.
Fibre Myths
Fibre Myth #1: The best way to increase your fibre intake is to just eat more bran.
The Truth behind the Myth: Bran is the outer shell of various types of grain, such as oats, wheat and rice. While bran is one way to get fibre, it’s not necessarily the best and definitely shouldn’t be your only form of fibre. Over the years, bran has gotten the reputation of being the fibre super food as it has high fibre content. However, bran can aggravate the digestive system, especially if too much is eaten, as well as prevent the body’s absorption of necessary nutrients, such as calcium, zinc, iron and magnesium.
And just as eating different fruits and vegetables provides a wide variety of vitamins and minerals, eating different forms of fibre provides a variety of benefits. So while a bit of bran sprinkled on your cereal can add a healthy fibre boost to your day, remember to vary your fibre source so you’ll get the full benefits that fibre has to offer.
Fibre Myth #2: You can never have too much fibre.
The Truth behind the Myth: There is such a thing as too much fibre. Very high fibre diets (more than 40g daily) are linked with decreased absorption of some important minerals, such as iron, zinc and calcium. This happens when fibre binds these minerals, which are then excreted.
As well, if you’re not used to a large amount of fibre in your diet, you should start by gradually introducing more fibre. Immediately increasing your intake to the daily recommended amount can cause bloating, gas and discomfort, as your digestive system is not yet used to it.
As well, you need to make sure to increase the amount of water you drink. Fibre absorbs water and if you don’t give your body enough additional water while increasing your fibre intake, you could experience constipation.
Exercise Myths
Exercise Myth #1: If you want to lose weight, you shouldn’t work out at a high intensity – stay in the ‘fat burning zone’ to achieve greatest results.
The Truth behind the Myth: This is a myth that has been around for a long time and needs to be laid to rest. Your body uses both fat and carbohydrates to provide energy to your cells. When you exercise (or do anything at all) your body uses calories from either fat or carbohydrates to provide the energy. The ‘fat burning zone’ (or low to moderate intensity exercise) does in fact burn a greater percentage of calories from fat, while the higher the intensity of your workout, the more your body relies on carbohydrates for fuel. However, while low intensity exercise may burn more calories from fat, high intensity exercise burns more total calories.
To lose one pound, you must burn 3500 calories more than you consume. That’s 3500 total calories – not just calories from fat. So if you burn almost twice the total calories when exercising at a high intensity (which you do), you’re doing more to lose weight than if you worked out at a low pace and burned a greater percentage of fat calories, but almost half as many total calories.
Another added benefit of high-intensity workouts - your metabolism increases during intense exercise, and stays elevated even after you’ve finished (how long it stays elevated depends on the intensity and duration of your workout)! So with a high-intensity workout, you’re burning calories even after you’ve stopped, which isn’t the case for ‘fat-burning’ low intensity workouts.
Exercise Myth #1: You need to work out for at least 30 minutes - otherwise, it’s not even worth doing.
The Truth behind the Myth: This is another long-standing myth that needs to be dispelled. This all-or-nothing approach to fitness is not only outdated, but with many people’s overly busy schedules, it’s impractical. There have been studies showing that splitting workout sessions into smaller chunks (10-20 minutes each) provides similar benefits to one extended workout and in some cases actually increases the number of calories burned!
In one study, a group of 18 men jogged for 10 minutes three times daily, while another group jogged for 30 minutes daily. Both groups shared the same benefits, including weight loss and increased peak oxygen uptake*. In another study, 6 women exercised for two 25 minute workouts daily, while another group worked out for one 50 minute period daily. While they both shared many benefits, the surprising result was the group that split their workouts actually burned more calories overall! This is because their heart rates and oxygen consumption stayed elevated after both workout sessions**.
So if you’re trying to fit in exercise, but can’t find the time for one long workout – break it up into smaller, more manageable sessions and enjoy all the same benefits as those with the all-or-nothing approach.
*DeBusk RF, Strenestrand U, Sheehan M, Haskell WL. Training effects of long versus short bouts of exercise in healthy subjects. American Journal of Cardiology 65:1010-1013, 1990.
** LA Kaminsky, S Padjen and J LaHam-Saeger. Effects of split exercise sessions on excess post-exercise oxygen consumption. British Journal of Sports Medicine 24:95, June 1990.