Counting calories and limiting carbs may seem like an expert-approved strategy for losing weight, but some nutritionists disagree.
Whitney English Tabaie, MS, RDN recently listed them among common nutritional myths in a popular video online.
She titled the clip “5 things I would never do as a nutritionist (again)” and pointed out that she had made some of those mistakes herself.
In her previous career working as an entertainment reporter in Hollywood, Tabaye was immersed in a culture where people were “very obsessed” with their appearance, so quick fixes for weight loss were very popular. himself fell prey to that bad health advice.
“After I went back to school and became a nutritionist, I learned how inaccurate many of these ideas were,” Tabaye, who lives in Palo Alto, Calif., told TODAY.
“Basic, simple, balanced nutrition is unattractive and unselling…but the truth is, what we know about nutrition in general isn’t all that shocking or difficult. It’s really simple: eat whole foods, eat quality ingredients, and listen to your body and tell it when you’ve had enough instead of following these extremely restrictive dietary rules.
Here are five things that Tsukaike will never do as a nutritionist.
count calories
Quick take: Counting calories leads to an obsession with quantity over quality, which often backfires when it comes to weight loss.
Mr. Tsukae explains: Calorie counting makes sense because the calories you eat and the calories you burn determine whether you maintain or lose weight. But it’s not that simple. Health and weight loss are also determined by behavior. When people start counting calories, they often become obsessed with the quantity and quality numbers they are consuming.
If you eat a lot of low-nutrition, low-satiety foods (those that are low in fiber and protein), you’ll quickly eat less, but you’ll feel less satisfied.
People eventually reach a breaking point and can end up overcompensating and eating more food later on. Not the best option.
count macros
Quick take: Aim for protein, fat and fiber at every meal. No need to digitize.
Mr. Tsukae explains: Counting macros has become a very popular dietary technique for both weight loss and body composition, but there is no need to take such a micro approach to nutrition. This is because it is not easy to accurately quantify the optimal macronutrient composition.
Also, when it comes to weight loss, studies have shown that isocaloric diets (meaning exactly the same amount of calories) produce similar amounts of weight loss, even though they have different proportions of fat, carbohydrates, and protein. No studies have shown that one is better than the other if calories are kept constant.
There is a caveat to this. If you’re eating a certain way, for example, eating more fiber can actually make you feel fuller with fewer calories. , counting specific amounts of macronutrients is unnecessary for weight loss and overall health.
To reach your muscle-building goals, you need to consume a certain amount of protein. I just want to make sure I’m meeting my protein needs.
do a juice cleanse
Quick take: You load your body with sugar instead of “detoxing your system” or “resting your organs.”
Mr. Tsukae explains: Juice cleanses have a trendy quick-fix appeal. People think that if he does this miracle cleanse for two, three days, or a week, either all his health problems will go away, or he will lose weight. If that sounds too good to be true, it is.
There are no randomized controlled trials of juice cleansing, but what I can say is that it does not lead to long-term weight loss. Juice cleansing is very restrictive. You may lose weight, but then you can put it back on if you eat as you used to.
Juice cleanses also make you feel very hungry. You get your calories from sugar, but they’re removed from the fruit so there’s no fiber. Juice has fewer nutrients than a whole fruit. A much better choice than juice.
If you want to incorporate more fruit into your diet, make a smoothie with bananas, strawberries, or blueberries, add one or two veggies, plant-based or unsweetened milk, and silken tofu or protein powder for balance. Add in a nutritious meal that won’t make you feel hungry too quickly.
limit carbs
Quick take: Carbohydrates are our life fuel. Limiting them is ineffective and unsustainable.
Mr. Tsukae explains: The satiety factor is one reason why you might want to include more fiber-rich carbs or complex carbs. The fiber in carbs helps people stay fuller longer and reduce overeating. In a randomized controlled trial, one group of participants ate a low-carbohydrate diet and the other group ate a high-fiber, high-carbohydrate diet. When both groups ate as much as they wanted, the high-fiber group caused her to eat fewer calories per day and lose significantly more weight. They were so satisfied they didn’t need to eat more.
Carbohydrates are also one of the most health-promoting nutrients when eating whole foods. That is, carbohydrates contain fiber. Fiber-rich carbohydrates include whole grains, fruits and vegetables, beans, nuts, and seeds.
Glucose, the main sugar found in carbohydrates, is the source of energy for our entire body. Required to fuel healthy red blood cells and energy in the brain. Evolutionarily, it is our preferred energy source. Carbohydrates are found in most typical diets around the world. People like carbs. They are hard to avoid and you don’t have to.
eat cauliflower crust pizza
Quick take: It’s gross, not pizza.
Mr. Tsukae explains: This speaks to the low-carb boom, with more and more products replacing cauliflower with things like pasta and pizza.
But if you have a pizza crust made with fiber-laden whole grains, it’s usually not as nutrient-dense as the original.
I personally don’t think it tastes good. I know a lot of people who would rather have a hearty bowl of whole grain brown rice than a bowl of cauliflower. It’s not about knocking cauliflower. I love cauliflower. I would appreciate it if you could incorporate it into your diet. It is a very nutritious vegetable. But you don’t have to replace whole grains with it.
People feel driven by these fads and try to trick their brains into thinking they like Frankenfood because they think it’s healthy, but most people are actually just plain normal. I would like to eat pizza.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
