Avoid fruits because they’re high in sugar- Almost all fresh fruits are low glycemic so it doesn’t spike your insulin levels, which cause your body to store fat. If you’re looking to get ripped and lose weight, eating most fruits are healthy. There are a few exceptions, watermelon is high-glycemic and spikes your insulin. Bananas, figs, dates and dry fruits are high in sugar and should be avoided if you’re looking to get a six-pack. Stick to the basics, apples, oranges and berries.
Avoid fish because high mercury gives you brain damage- Yeah, some fish are higher in mercury than others so limit your consumption of tuna, bass, snapper, halibut and lobster to about twice a month. Research shows that essential fatty acids are integral to good health, brain function, weight management, and inflammation. Omega 3 fatty acids and DHA increase your over all health, well being, performance, and help metabolize fat. Better fish to eat on the low end of the mercury scale are: salmon, whitefish, trout, cod, catfish, anchovies and sardines.
Carb up and eat pasta before the big race- Carb loading can work against you if your event is less than 2 hours long. Carb loading only helps towards the END of a long event, like marathon running. Carb loading stores glycogen and takes 2.7 grams of water to store each gram of glycogen. Carb loading also adds about 4-5 pounds, for a short event it’s not worth the trade-off in those net extra pounds. Here is how to carb load efficiently, start four to six days before the event by lowering your carbs to 40-60% down from the recommended 75% for endurance athletes. Taper normal training by 80% then 60% then 40%. Three days prior to the big race increase your carbs to 70-80% of your diet. On the last day avoid training; your muscles will be hungry for glycogen before you boost your carbs.
Low carb diets are great for weight loss- Too many processed carbs short-circuit your body’s desire to burn fat. However, this doesn’t mean you should start the Atkins Diet today. Carbohydrates from fruits, vegetables and whole grains are healthy carbs, but man-made refined carbs= white flour and white sugar are bad for weight loss. Refined carbs encourage fat storage and discourage your body’s ability to burn it’s fat reserves. Be picky about the carbs you eat and include a diet with about 60% carbs . Include squash and whole grains.
Vegetarians don’t get enough protein in their diet- Most people actually eat too much protein. It’s recommended that bodybuilders eat 2 grams of protein per pound of body weight while the rest of us need 1 gram of protein per pound. Timing is everything; you should eat protein within 45 minutes of an anaerobic workout because that’s when your muscles are most hungry for protein. Meat protein is complete while vegetarian sources are incomplete. Without all essential amino acids your body can’t use the others efficiently. If you’re a vegetarian you need to mix it up, consuming incomplete protein to make a complete protein. Seeds, nuts, beans and greens should be eaten with whole grains, like brown rice to make them complete. So meat eaters, go green.