When it comes to women’s nutrition, there is so much mis-information out there that it is often hard to make educated decisions. Using the program that worked for Susie down the hall or your sister is by far not an educated decision, but more than often this is how nutritional decisions are made. So to help you out here is a comprised list of the Top 10 Nutritional Mistakes Women are making.
1 – Eating A Lot of Grains
The wheat industry has marketed the benefits of whole grain products for health for quite some time. The basics of the studies show that eating whole grain products is healthier than eating more refined processed products. While whole grains being superior to refined flour is true. The story they are not telling is that you would be better off not eating the grains at all. Switching to a wheat free/ gluten free diet for a more whole food/ paleo style diet is much better than switching from white bread to whole grain. Grains are fattening and inflammatory for most people that consume them. This leads to a host of health problems and weight gain. Charles Poliquin on Gluten
2 – Eating Low Fat Yogurt and Other Low Fat Products
Low fat dairy products are finally being discovered to be very unhealthy. These often high carb beverages and foods have been stripped of their nutrients and highly processed in most cases. Whats left is a very un-natural form of dairy, that when lacking the beneficial fats, is more fattening, less tasty, and has been shown to increase the risk of cancer in harvard studies. Read The Low Fat Diet Failure
3 – Not Eating Enough Protein
Protein is one of the most vital nutrients the body needs. It can be used for energy, building muscle, detoxifying the body, strengthening the immune system, and increasing brain function. Diets low in protein are essential mal-nutrition diets, starving your body of one of the most essential pieces of life. Your body can make carbohydrates from protein and fats from excess energy, but you can not make protein from carbs and fat.
4 – Not Eating Often Enough
Skipping meals not only leads to a decrease in metabolism but it increases the fat storing compounds so when you dive into that next meal you will store more of it as fat. These periods without nutrition increase cravings for higher carbohydrate foods which add to the fattening effect of the meal by increasing insulin.
5 – Skipping Breakfast
Everyones grandmother knew that breakfast was the most important meal of the day. From a metabolic standpoint, what you eat for breakfast basically tells your body what to expect for the day and how to function. Skipping breakfast will have your body craving sweets, conserving energy, making you feel fatigued, and priming itself for fat storage when food finally arrives.
6 – Not Eating Enough Healthy Fats
Healthy fats help fight cravings, improve mood and mental function, and can make the difference between you having a fat burning day and a fat storing day. Healthy fats are found in things like organic butter, avocados, nuts, olive oil, and coconut oil. Educate yourself on Fats Here
7 – Eating Soy Products
95% of soy products come from a GMO (genetically modified organism) source. GMO foods are being banned in many countries for their negative effects on health, and development. This is just what we know from the short term effects seen so far. In addition soy products also act as false estrogens, causing negative impacts on hormone balance in females.
8 – Consuming Too Much Alcohol
If there is one thing that can kill a weight loss or fat loss program it is a night of drinking alcohol. There are some more favorable choices like red wines high in the antioxidant resveratrol. However I suggest this only for women who have reached their weight goal and are looking to maintain. Read “Can You Booze and Still Lose”.
9 – Not Eating Enough Fiber
Most people associate fiber with only it’s digestive benefits. Fiber is one of the best nutrients at reducing cardiovascular risk, and improving body composition. Fiber with your meals helps slow carbohydrate absorption and increases your bodies detoxification abilities.
10 – Following Points or Calorie Systems
One of the things I hate most is all these diet programs based on counting the things you’re taking in, with the idea of limiting how many calories, points or grams of food you get to eat. This is the opposite of a healthy diet. A healthy diet should be more about making sure you are putting in all the things you need. A proper point system would need to require you to get so many points for protein, fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats each day. But if you are doing this with most of the foods these diet programs sponsor you would be taking in thousands of calories more than anyone needs in a day. It’s better to eat healthier foods than to count how many bad foods you can eat each day just not to get fatter.