We often hear fitness tips, such as “avoid rice to lose weight“, “eat only once or twice a day“, and “juicing is better than eating the fruit as it is” to name a few. Well, in case you’re currently following these so-called diet hacks, you might want to rethink your actions.
Remina Amor Facultad, a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, recently debunked common misconceptions on fitness and health through a series of tweets. According to Remina, she started the nutrition-focused Twitter thread to finally stop or at least lessen misinformation. Read her points below.
1. “Magdidiet ako bukas” or “di ako kakain ng kanin”
She clarified that a healthy diet is not a one time big time kind of thing and while it does start with a decision, healthy diet is a habit and you’ll only see the results if you sustain it.
2. “Rice is bad”
Remina stated, “NO. You need carbohydrates! In fact, more than 50% of your energy needs must be from carbohydrates. Hindi siya masama. Please.”
3. “Juicing your fruits is a lot healthier than eating it as it is”
Again, she clarified that the best way to retain nutrients is by eating it as it is. She added, “Natatanggal ang nutrients such as fiber kapag pinoprocess mo na yung juice lang kukunin.”
4. “Eating less is the key to weight loss”
She would like to remind everyone that the key is “BALANCE, MODERATION AND VARIETY” or BMV.
5. “Lose 7 kgs. in just one week!”
As she puts it, “Jusko, tubig lang nawala dyan teh. Healthy weight loss ay dapat 1-2 lbs/week lang Ma-shookt si body nyan.”
6. There is no such thing as diet for everyone.
Instead, diet should be individualized since “one size fits all” won’t work.
7. “No Carbohydrate Diet”
“Omg girl. Ano kakainin ng brain mo. Anong immediate source ng katawan mo for energy? YOU NEED CARBOHYDRATES.”, she said.
8. Re: Food supplements (plus multivitamins and minerals)
She mentioned that these are not needed if you eat properly. By eating properly, she meant that your daily food is composed of carbohydrates, vegetables, fruits, meat and milk.
9. “Mag-one or two meals lang ako every day”
She said that doing such will only cause people to eat less meals with bigger servings. Instead, she encouraged people to eat small yet frequent meals. Turning your three large meals into six small meals is the key.
10. “Mas okay na yung sobra kesa kulang”
According to her, “Hindi pa rin po. Lalo na sa case ng supplements na yan. Sa sobrang taas ng nutrients ng mga supplement teas/etc, naooverwork & napapagod si kidneys at liver sa kakasala at detoxify ng ganito.”
11. For all momshies with overweight/obese kids:
Take note: Please don’t limit what they eat. Just choose healthier food items and increase physical activities aka more playtime!
12. “Kapag healthy food kasi, hindi masarap”
It’s actually up to your cooking skills and will.
13. “Kumain ka lang ng malunggay magiging healthy na yan=malunggay bread, tinola, malunggay tea”
She reiterated, “Please remember that there is no one food that can supply all the nutrients that you need. Remember variety.”
14. “I don’t need to eat gulay kasi I eat fruits naman eh”
“You need BOTH fruits and vegetables. Kasi there is no one food (or food group) that could provide all the essential nutrients ni body”, she clarified.
15. “Pare.. high protein diet ako kasi naggygym ako”
According to Remina, “Protein requirement does not increase with increased physical activity. Ang tumataas ay ang energy requirement mo (aka calories for the day) kaya along with increased caloric requirement, tataas din sina carbs, fat and protein. Yes, sila lahat but proportion-wise, same pa rin.”
For more of her insights, you may follow the thread here:
A NUTRITION THREAD TO STOP MISINFORMATION
— Amor Facultad, RND (@MissAlohAMORa) July 12, 2017
Let’s all spread the word in order to correct these common misconceptions. Keep in mind that it would still be best to consult field professionals instead of believing what your friend’s friend said about how she lost weight.
What are your thoughts on this? Tell us in the comments!
