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Fitness and diet myths that just won't go away
Replies
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As of late I've been seeing a lot of "alkaline" water in our gym. What a scam.
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Been in fitness for 35+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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I’m passable in 3 languages and studied tons of Greek and Latin in school. I can pronounce a LOT of things. That means I can eat whatever I want, right?
Haha! I have seen a variation of this “rule” as “If your grandmother wouldn’t recognize the ingredients, don’t eat it.”
My grandmother was a chemist, so I’d bet she’d recognize more ingredients that I would.10 -
SuzySunshine99 wrote: »I’m passable in 3 languages and studied tons of Greek and Latin in school. I can pronounce a LOT of things. That means I can eat whatever I want, right?
Haha! I have seen a variation of this “rule” as “If your grandmother wouldn’t recognize the ingredients, don’t eat it.”
My grandmother was a chemist, so I’d bet she’d recognize more ingredients that I would.
I think what Mr. Pollan suggested was to generally avoid things that your grandmother (or great grandmother) wouldn't recognize AS FOOD. One set of my grandparents ran a new and used auto parts shop. My grandmother could recognize a brake shoe, but she wouldn't have considered it food. The other set of grandparents ran restaurants. They would recognize floor wash soap, but they wouldn't have considered it food.
I really don't think it's a bad generality.
What we most remember that Mr. Pollan said was, "Eat food, not too much, mostly plants." That's three things. The suggestion was that "food" is something your great grandmother would have recognized as food. The other two suggestions are pretty straightforward. All seem reasonable guidance to me.
One set of grandparents used to have a regular subscription to a company that delivered potato chips. Yep. That used to be a thing. The company still makes chips, but they don't deliver. You'd leave the metal tins out, and the delivery driver would collect them and leave a fresh tin. Oh the memories. So, my grandmother would recognize potato chips as food, and it's made from plants. That's where "not too much" comes into play.
As such, I actually do not wish this myth would go away. I wish more people would see it in context and opt for choosing healthy foods most of the time.
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Ok, here is what I dislike about these "rules" or "guidelines" or "suggestions" or whatever anyone wants to call them. I am not arguing with the thought behind them...which is to eat more whole foods and less processed foods. That is a great "rule" to follow.
My problem is when we can't trust adults to understand what that means, so we have to say things like "shop the perimeter of the store", as if we are speaking to a child who needs simple instructions with no explanation. By the way, both of my grocery stores have the fresh produce in the middle, and the bakery and alcohol on the perimeter, so yay for me!
We are all adults who can, presumably, learn to read labels, understand basic nutrition, and make choices based on our needs and circumstances.
Giving people generalized rules to follow does not help educate people, and may be counter-productive.5 -
springlering62 wrote: »If apple cider vinegar is that good for you, imagine what wine can do!
My latest peeve is everyone being on “detox” again. It must be an end-of-year thing.
Post-holiday ritual expiation of food sins . . . US Thanksgiving now, Christmas/New Years later?
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I think what Mr. Pollan suggested was to generally avoid things that your grandmother (or great grandmother) wouldn't recognize AS FOOD. One set of my grandparents ran a new and used auto parts shop. My grandmother could recognize a brake shoe, but she wouldn't have considered it food. The other set of grandparents ran restaurants. They would recognize floor wash soap, but they wouldn't have considered it food.
I really don't think it's a bad generality.
well, no - nobody ever considers floor wash soap or brake shoes as food and I dont think anybody intended the motto to mean don't eat anythings your grandmother didnt recognise - that would be even sillier than the intended meaning of don't eat ingredients or food she wouldnt recognise.
Which is also very silly.,
I think it is a really silly generality
My grandmother was actually a very good cook - but she lived in rural Australia and cooked and recognised conservative western staples. And died nearly 30 years ago
To extrapolate from that to not eat for example, stir-fries, bok choy, tofu,sushi, chick peas - makes of course no sense whatsoever.1 -
paperpudding wrote: »I think what Mr. Pollan suggested was to generally avoid things that your grandmother (or great grandmother) wouldn't recognize AS FOOD. One set of my grandparents ran a new and used auto parts shop. My grandmother could recognize a brake shoe, but she wouldn't have considered it food. The other set of grandparents ran restaurants. They would recognize floor wash soap, but they wouldn't have considered it food.
I really don't think it's a bad generality.
well, no - nobody ever considers floor wash soap or brake shoes as food and I dont think anybody intended the motto to mean don't eat anythings your grandmother didnt recognise - that would be even sillier than the intended meaning of don't eat ingredients or food she wouldnt recognise.
Which is also very silly.,
I think it is a really silly generality
My grandmother was actually a very good cook - but she lived in rural Australia and cooked and recognised conservative western staples. And died nearly 30 years ago
To extrapolate from that to not eat for example, stir-fries, bok choy, tofu,sushi, chick peas - makes of course no sense whatsoever.
Maybe I'm mistaken, but it seems like you are trying to set up straw-man propositions. Earlier you suggested that someone with a lisp couldn't eat anything because they might not be able to pronounce it.paperpudding wrote: »And if I have a lisp and can't pronounce spinach,I shouldn't eat it??
And if I have a stroke or suchlike and can't pronounce anything,I should eat nothing?
Of all the diet advice I think ' don't eat anything you can't pronounce' is the silliest of the lot.
That proposition would also extend to someone who was not a native speaker of a language and had an accent. I don't think anyone would make that inference nor the inference that a person with a lisp shouldn't eat spinach.
If your grandmother were alive and someone showed her a bok choy, perhaps she WOULD recognize that it is in fact a vegetable. Certainly if she had traveled to Asia and saw someone cooking it, she likely wouldn't think that it wasn't food.
There was a time when I wouldn't eat sushi. I currently am a bit squeamish about the prospect of eating insects. Both should be considered food, although neither is a plant. I would love to be able to get over my issue with insects because in reality they would be a great food resource for humans and were for many cultures throughout the world over the ages. Even in the story of Exodus, one of the plagues was locusts. When that plague was over, the locusts were blown out into the red sea. Had they just died on shore, they would have been a grand repast.
Our ideas of foods surely change over time. Several hundred years ago, Jonathan Swift suggested it "must have been a bold man who first ate an oyster." They were nearly extirpated on parts of the west coast of the USA when gold miners discovered how delicious they were and when trains could deliver them.
Nutrition science is still a very young science. We keep discovering how we were wrong when we thought we knew something. Maybe having some sideboards to help us make good choices aren't silly. Maybe there's a better way to describe the idea that people can figure out what's good to eat and what's not. Cheetos are tasty, but they're probably not "good to eat." Eating a few likely won't cause long-term harm, but avoiding them completely will certainly cause no harm unless that's the only food accessible to you for the next two weeks.
I'm rambling. I'll stop now. I'm going to go eat some plants. Not too much though.3 -
Maybe I'm mistaken, but it seems like you are trying to set up straw-man propositions. Earlier you suggested that someone with a lisp couldn't eat anything because they might not be able to pronounce it.
No I am trying to point out how silly the rule is.
I wasn't suggesting people with a lisp don't eat spinach - I was using that as an example of how silly the rule is.
And sure, my grandmother may have eaten differently if she travelled to Asia or lived today or whatever - but the rule is don't eat anything your grandmother didn't recognise as food - not what she hypothetically would do if she were someone alive today.
It's a silly rule.
As per my example of perfectly nutritious things that it would rule me out of eating.1 -
Don't eat after 7.. eat more for breakfast, then medium for lunch and light light dinner..2
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Well one DOESN'T have to eat breakfast at all. The traditional "morning" meal breakfast if we're speaking in literal terms. I eat lunch and dinner and snack after 9pm everyday. I don't eat "breakfast" and first meal is after 12pm.Donnagemmy wrote: »Don't eat after 7.. eat more for breakfast, then medium for lunch and light light dinner..
Also for me, if I eat before 12pm, I have a tendency to want to keep eating.
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Donnagemmy wrote: »...eat more for breakfast, then medium for lunch and light light dinner..
I usually eat the exact reverse of this: My biggest meal of the day is almost invariably the evening meal, and IF I have breakfast at all it's something super small, like a small yogurt, more of a snack than a meal.0 -
But - "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day!"
No, it's not. While I love breakfast food, it doesn't mean it must be consumed before 10am...and be hearty to boot.
I bought into this one for a while, but eventually realized the earlier I broke my fast, the more hours in the day I had for eating! New 'rule' - break your fast when you're hungry...2 -
Donnagemmy wrote: »Don't eat after 7.. eat more for breakfast, then medium for lunch and light light dinner..
I don't understand why so many people seem to be arguing with this post.
It was posted on a thread where we're posting myths that won't go away.
I assumed the person who posted it meant that it was a myth that wouldn't go away.
Apparently disputing this myth won't go away, either?:drinker: 6 -
Donnagemmy wrote: »Don't eat after 7.. eat more for breakfast, then medium for lunch and light light dinner..
I don't understand why so many people seem to be arguing with this post.
It was posted on a thread where we're posting myths that won't go away.
I assumed the person who posted it meant that it was a myth that wouldn't go away.
Apparently disputing this myth won't go away, either?:drinker:
I think sometimes people open topics to see the most recent post and miss the actual title of the topic and then misinterpret when the poster just mentions a myth without further comment. Just a hypothesis based on my own experience - I usually realise my mistake before actually posting a reply 😄3 -
Donnagemmy wrote: »...eat more for breakfast, then medium for lunch and light light dinner..
Don't you think this was probably true for the person who originally said this? Like some of us say the opposite is true for us, some say count calories for a day, others say count for a week. Some say exercise doesn't matter, others think it's extremely important.
I don't really think it's a myth, just certainly not "one size fits all."
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Corina1143 wrote: »Donnagemmy wrote: »...eat more for breakfast, then medium for lunch and light light dinner..
Don't you think this was probably true for the person who originally said this? Like some of us say the opposite is true for us, some say count calories for a day, others say count for a week. Some say exercise doesn't matter, others think it's extremely important.
I don't really think it's a myth, just certainly not "one size fits all."
I think that's the point though; some people say this kind of thing as a blanket statement. E.g., "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day." As a blanket statement, not only is it a myth, it's not true.
Not all myths are false; they are just commonly-believed stories. Like the myth that washing dishes by hand uses less water than using a dishwasher. Modern dishwashers heat their own water, and they use very little water. As long as you don't pre-wash your dishes, and as long as you wash full loads, you probably use more water to wash by hand. Some myths cannot be true. Many cultures have creation myths. It might be that none of them are true, but for sure they cannot all be true because they are mutually exclusive.4 -
Corina1143 wrote: »Donnagemmy wrote: »...eat more for breakfast, then medium for lunch and light light dinner..
Don't you think this was probably true for the person who originally said this? Like some of us say the opposite is true for us, some say count calories for a day, others say count for a week. Some say exercise doesn't matter, others think it's extremely important.
I don't really think it's a myth, just certainly not "one size fits all."
But that is the same caveat as usual - nobody objects to breakfast is my biggest meal, I find weekly calorie counting better etc
The problem is when such things are presented as universal absolute musts rather than individual preferences.4 -
Don't let your toes go past your knees when squatting or lunging.
While I see a lot of this with new trainers, I've been seeing more on social media fitness. The caveat to this would really only be true if someone has knee issues or doing it pains their knees badly.
There are times in the day people's knees pass their toes especially when climbing stairs.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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Been in fitness for 35+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition 3 -
Somebody posted
"If apple cider vinegar is that good for you, imagine what wine can do!"
That got me thinking about wine...and "rules"
"Never drink wine from a bottle that is bigger than your head"
That seemed reasonable enough in the context of "jug wines".
but then I experienced a remarkable older California Cabernet from Robert Mondavi that was bottled in a Jeroboam. It was magnificent.
So much for rules
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Cutting out gluten will solve all your issues.
Bread is bad.
I grew up on a very very heavy bread culture (Netherlands) and this one really bothers me. Most people there are not overweight. Americans stop picking on bread!!! It isn't bread that is making you fat and giving you all your woes.4 -
"You shouldn't eat butter. Because it's from an animal source. You should eat margarine instead. Because it's plant-based."
I remember this growing up in the '70s. I always said, "Eat the butter, just don't eat the whole stick." You shouldn't eat the whole stick of margarine either.
"You shouldn't eat lard. Because it's from an animal source. You should eat shortening instead. Because it's plant-based."
I even believed this for a while. Then we found out about trans-fats.
Nutrition science is still very young. If I were young and thinking about what I wanted to study and to make into a career, it might be nutrition science. I think it's fascinating. I would probably have contributed to many of the mistakes we made and are in the process of understanding better. I also wouldn't have been doing all the biology and hillslope hydrology I loved so much nor had a chance to help my community learn how to conserve water.
Please pass the butter.
And the salt.....
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"You shouldn't eat eggs. Cholesterol."
"Eggs are the best thing ever. Eat as many as you want."
"You shouldn't eat egg YOLKS. Only egg whites. Cholesterol."
"Eggs are the best things ever. Put a raw egg in your milkshake for more nutrition."
"Don't eat raw eggs. Salmonella."
"You shouldn't eat eggs. They'll kill ya."
"Eat eggs from hens that have been fortified so the eggs have more omega-3."
"Only eat eggs once or twice a week."
"You shouldn't scramble eggs before cooking because it exposes air to the yolks and makes them unhealthy."
"Scrambled eggs have more healthy fat than hard-cooked eggs."
"Eat eggs in moderation; they're little packets of protein and other nutrients."
Another example of nutrition science still working on getting the answers. I think we're getting closer.
My personal favorite lately has been braised eggs. Super easy. Super tasty. Heat a skillet to medium as you would for an over-easy egg. Add your butter or oil. When it's hot, add an egg or two, then add an ounce of water and put the lid on and wait two to three minutes, longer if you like the yolks cooked a little more. The steam cooks the top so you don't have to flip 'em, they don't stick to the pan, and they are just really tasty.
Second favorite is to start cooking a pot of hominy grits. When the grits are about halfway cooked, crack an egg or two on top, turn the heat down, and put the lid on for a few minutes. As the eggs begin to firm up, stir them into the grits. Oh my.5 -
Broscience of drinking a gallon of water a day. While drinking ENOUGH water is essential for good health, drinking a gallon of water a day isn't necessary but is a staple for most bros in the gym.
I see 15 year olds carry around a gallon jug with them and boney as hell asking why they aren't gaining weight.
Also, if you're not balancing your electrolytes with all that water, you can get cramps, nausea, etc.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 35+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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Broscience of drinking a gallon of water a day. While drinking ENOUGH water is essential for good health, drinking a gallon of water a day isn't necessary but is a staple for most bros in the gym.
I see 15 year olds carry around a gallon jug with them and boney as hell asking why they aren't gaining weight.
Also, if you're not balancing your electrolytes with all that water, you can get cramps, nausea, etc.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 35+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
If they're only drinking water, a gallon is about right.
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Theoldguy1 wrote: »Broscience of drinking a gallon of water a day. While drinking ENOUGH water is essential for good health, drinking a gallon of water a day isn't necessary but is a staple for most bros in the gym.
I see 15 year olds carry around a gallon jug with them and boney as hell asking why they aren't gaining weight.
Also, if you're not balancing your electrolytes with all that water, you can get cramps, nausea, etc.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 35+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
If they're only drinking water, a gallon is about right.
Geez, in metric please?
(long live Google)
I don't care if it's Harvard or not, a single number as a recommendation is ridiculous: a lot of exercise or not, hot weather or not, etc.
And their high end number includes all fluids (also from foods), they're not saying people need to drink 11.5/15.5 cups of water.3 -
Theoldguy1 wrote: »Broscience of drinking a gallon of water a day. While drinking ENOUGH water is essential for good health, drinking a gallon of water a day isn't necessary but is a staple for most bros in the gym.
I see 15 year olds carry around a gallon jug with them and boney as hell asking why they aren't gaining weight.
Also, if you're not balancing your electrolytes with all that water, you can get cramps, nausea, etc.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 35+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
If they're only drinking water, a gallon is about right.
Geez, in metric please?
(long live Google)
I don't care if it's Harvard or not, a single number as a recommendation is ridiculous: a lot of exercise or not, hot weather or not, etc.
And their high end number includes all fluids (also from foods), they're not saying people need to drink 11.5/15.5 cups of water.
Several years ago, the US EPA changed its standards for the amount of fluoride added to water for water utilities who fluoridate water. Yes, I know fluoridating water is a very controversial topic. Fluorine is extremely toxic. It's also been seen as one of the most important improvements in public health along with chlorination. Before 2011, the guidance was to add fluoride to a level between .07 and 1.2 milligrams per liter (yep - metric!). One milligram per liter is about one part per million. That would be like putting one drop of vermouth in ten gallons of gin. I'd hardly call that a martini.
The EPA did some analysis. They realized that people get fluoride in other ways. Fluoride occurs naturally in tea, for example. People also sometimes get fluoride from beverages other than tap water. If the company that bottles your apple juice makes it from concentrate with fluoridated water, there's a dose there too.
The EPA also recognized that some people actually consumed considerably more water than others. People who do hard physical work drink more water than people who run a keyboard. People who work outdoors in a hot climate, even less physical work, drink more water than people who do equivalent work in air condition or in cooler climates. They reduced the recommendation to no more than 0.7 milligrams per liter to account for these differences. They also don't allow tap water to have more than 4.0 parts per million, but that's not important here.
When planning a raft trip down Grand Canyon, the guidance actually IS to drink a gallon of water each day. It's a good starting point for planning how much to bring or have the capacity to treat. I have never been in the summer, and I suspect you could easily drink much MORE. Of course you also have to make sure to keep electrolytes up. My trips have been in fall or spring, and we ended up drinking about half that much. Yes we had other beverages that had their own electrolytes, and we ate fruit and vegetables and food that also had water.
But no - the need to drink a gallon of water per day is indeed bro-science as @ninerbuff suggests.
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Theoldguy1 wrote: »Broscience of drinking a gallon of water a day. While drinking ENOUGH water is essential for good health, drinking a gallon of water a day isn't necessary but is a staple for most bros in the gym.
I see 15 year olds carry around a gallon jug with them and boney as hell asking why they aren't gaining weight.
Also, if you're not balancing your electrolytes with all that water, you can get cramps, nausea, etc.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 35+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
If they're only drinking water, a gallon is about right.
Geez, in metric please?
(long live Google)
I don't care if it's Harvard or not, a single number as a recommendation is ridiculous: a lot of exercise or not, hot weather or not, etc.
And their high end number includes all fluids (also from foods), they're not saying people need to drink 11.5/15.5 cups of water.
If you read the screen shot, it said an average (which means some will be higher and some lower) and yes it includes other sources of water. If you notice, I said if all they were drinking was water, the gallon was about right based on the average provided by Harvard.2 -
Theoldguy1 wrote: »Theoldguy1 wrote: »Broscience of drinking a gallon of water a day. While drinking ENOUGH water is essential for good health, drinking a gallon of water a day isn't necessary but is a staple for most bros in the gym.
I see 15 year olds carry around a gallon jug with them and boney as hell asking why they aren't gaining weight.
Also, if you're not balancing your electrolytes with all that water, you can get cramps, nausea, etc.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 35+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
If they're only drinking water, a gallon is about right.
Geez, in metric please?
(long live Google)
I don't care if it's Harvard or not, a single number as a recommendation is ridiculous: a lot of exercise or not, hot weather or not, etc.
And their high end number includes all fluids (also from foods), they're not saying people need to drink 11.5/15.5 cups of water.
If you read the screen shot, it said an average (which means some will be higher and some lower) and yes it includes other sources of water. If you notice, I said if all they were drinking was water, the gallon was about right based on the average provided by Harvard.
I did read the screenshot. It says 4 to 6 cups, depending on intake of other drinks and food. It implies 11.5/15.5 cups for people not ingesting fluids in any other way, whether it be drinks or food.
I can't imagine many people only drinking water AND only consuming foods that don't contain any moisture/water.
(PS would have been more useful in my opinion to state a range instead of an average. An average doesn't tell you how wide the spread is)2 -
(PS would have been more useful in my opinion to state a range instead of an average. An average doesn't tell you how wide the spread is)
If you put one hand in a bucket of ice and a little water (32F, 0C) and the other hand in a pot of near-boiling water (200F, 93C), on average you're pretty comfortable (116F, 50C - a little warmer than a n ice shower).
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Lol, they are kids..................being a yard duty at a middle school, soda, juices, power drinks (like Gatorade, etc.) are all part of these kids intake. I'm saying that these kids DON'T want to drink a gallon of water a day, but do because they see all the bodybuilders lugging around a gallon of water in the gym everyday.Theoldguy1 wrote: »Broscience of drinking a gallon of water a day. While drinking ENOUGH water is essential for good health, drinking a gallon of water a day isn't necessary but is a staple for most bros in the gym.
I see 15 year olds carry around a gallon jug with them and boney as hell asking why they aren't gaining weight.
Also, if you're not balancing your electrolytes with all that water, you can get cramps, nausea, etc.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 35+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
If they're only drinking water, a gallon is about right.
There are lots of teens that do cable flyes in the gym, not realizing it's NOT a mass building movement, but do them anyway because they see all the buffed dudes doing them.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 35+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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