4 Big-Time Nutrition Mistakes for Normal People

4 Big-Time Nutrition Mistakes for Normal People

In today’s day and age, you can find millions (yes, millions) of books, podcasts and social media accounts that tell you all sorts of different things about nutrition.

Book No. 1 might tell you to eat carbs because carbs provide fuel.

Book No. 2 might tell you to avoid carbs like the plague because they cause weight gain.

Book No. 3 might tell you to eat carbs, but eat carbs only during the day.

Knowing what’s right for you can be tough to figure out.

What should be noted is everything is always dependent on one thing:

CONTEXT

What works for one person might not work for another.

We all have different goals, dieting histories, physical conditions, psychological conditions and more.

This article is written for normal people, and here are four mistakes we should avoid in almost every situation.

It’s been ingrained in many of our brains that certain foods like chicken, sweet potatoes and broccoli are “good,” while certain foods like ice cream, pizza and donuts are “bad.”

While some foods certainly are more nutrient-dense than others, foods aren’t inherently “good” or “bad” and having that mindset can be destructive.

If you think of foods as “good” or “bad,” you may wind up with an unhealthy relationship with food. You’re going to feel guilty when you eat certain foods, and that type of thinking can lead to disordered eating.

Meal plans look great on paper.

You just want to be told what to eat, right?

So why not just lay out literally every single piece of food you need to eat for your goals?

Easy enough.

However, most of us go to restaurants, go on vacations, hang out with friends and want to enjoy many of the finer dishes in life.

So the chances of most of us sticking to a meal plan for very long are slim to none.

On the other hand, following a flexible meal plan can be beneficial to build adherence.

Many diets have popularized the notion of eliminating certain macronutrients or food groups.

For example, things like dairy, gluten or sugar are off-limits.

And sure, in some cases, minimizing the consumption of these foods is a good idea.

While cutting out food groups before re-introducing them can be beneficial if you’re testing to see if you have a food intolerance, it’s not beneficial in many other situations, especially from a psychological standpoint.

As soon as you’re told you can’t have something, you’re going to want it.

For example, if you’re told you can’t have cookies because of the sugar, you’re going to want cookies even more in all likelihood.

While some people may operate well cutting out food groups entirely, it’s not a good idea for most.

If you need to wait until Monday or next week or next month to follow a nutrition protocol, you may need to re-consider it.

Any time you go into a nutritional plan thinking you’re going “on” it, you’re implying you’re going to eventually go “off” of it and go back to eating “normal.”

The solution to each of these mistakes is to follow a flexible nutritional lifestyle.

A flexible nutrition protocol may mean something different to each person. You need to remember that you can follow only that which can be sustained.

You can have the best meal plan in the world written up for you, but if you don’t follow it, you’re not going to have much success with it.

Regardless of your nutritional goal, you can be certain one thing is important:

FOOD QUANTITY

While in most situations, you’ll want to ensure you’re consuming a diet primarily of whole, unprocessed foods, you need to pay attention to the amount of food you’re eating in all situations.

Your body doesn’t automatically become healthier from eating a piece of chicken, and your body doesn’t automatically become less healthy from eating a piece of pizza.

Your body knows macronutrients – proteins, carbohydrates and fats.

Proteins like chicken, beef and eggs help with things like building and repair muscle tissue.

Carbohydrates like potatoes, pasta and rice help with things like providing fuel for your body, especially during high-intensity exercise.

Fats like nuts, avocados and coconut oil help with things like regulating hormones.

You don’t need to have or avoid specific foods, but instead you can eat nutrient-dense foods most of the time while allowing for some flexibility with “fun” foods.

By following a plan that involves you focusing on consuming certain portions of foods, you can still be “on” your nutrition plan whether you’re at home, on the road or out with friends.

Most of us want a plan that fits around our lifestyle rather than having a lifestyle that works around our plan.