There’s a whole lot of information swirling around online about the right way to eat – targeted at women. And while it’s great that women want to eat more healthily, much of the information is muddled, outdated, or flat-out wrong.
“Whilst online health information isn’t always unique to women, there is more messaging around weight loss, dieting, or protein consumption in online spaces that women frequent,” says Maya Feller, RD, the Founder and Lead Dietitian at Maya Feller Nutrition. “The influencer that’s the most compelling or feels like a trusted friend is really able to pull the viewer and the reader into whatever they’re saying and make people more prone to believe them.”
For the most part, there’s nothing radical about a healthy diet. A woman’s body needs a mix of nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, protein, and fat to function properly. Below are five misguided strategies that you might want to be aware of.
1. Myth: Carbs Are the Enemy
Despite the popularity of carb avoidance and low-carb diets, carbohydrates aren’t inherently bad for you. Yes, many of them are composed of sugar, but healthy carbs are also the body’s primary and preferred source of energy.
“Instead of eliminating carbs, I would advise shifting your focus to the quality of carbs,” says Sharniqua White, RDN, a Culinary Dietitian in Greensboro, North Carolina.
These are the three main types of carbohydrates, and only one of these should be severely restricted in your diet:
- Simple sugars are carbs from one or two types of sugar. These are the type of carbs to limit, particularly if you have diabetes. They’re easily digested and quickly absorbed, they can cause blood sugar to spike, and they’re found in sweets, fruit juice, soda, syrups and sweeteners, packaged foods like white bread, biscuits and cakes.
- Starch is a type of complex carbohydrate that occurs naturally in vegetables, grains, and beans. Starch is digested more slowly, which makes it healthier, and it will eventually break down into simple sugars known as glucose, which is an essential energy source.
- Fibre is another type of complex carbohydrate which is found in plant foods, such as fruit, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and beans. Fibre helps keep our digestive system healthy, and it can also play a big role in healthy weight maintenance.
2. Myth: All Processed Foods Are Bad for You
There’s little question that ultra-processed foods (UPFs) – which include mass-produced packaged snacks, bread, sweets and baked goods – are not part of a healthy diet.
Indeed, one recent study found that higher UPF intake in women is associated with increased risk of certain types of early-onset colorectal pre-cancerous growths.
But those foods are only one category of processed foods. Foods can also be minimally processed or processed to a lesser degree than the ultra-processed ones, like the pre-chopped and frozen fruit and veggies so many women use to feed their families.
“Many processed foods can help save time and provide great nutrition,” says Rosanne Rust, RDN, author of DASH Diet for Dummies and the owner of Rust Nutrition Services in Florida. “Canned vegetables, canned beans, and frozen fruit, vegetables, and legumes are convenient solutions to get a quick meal on the table.”
She adds that other types of processed foods, like fortified breakfast cereals and breads can help fill nutrient gaps, especially the iron, folate, and other vitamins and minerals needed by children and childbearing women.
3. Myth: Eating Fat Makes You Fat
This misconception dates back to the late 20th century low-fat movement when women believed any dietary fat you consumed would stay on your hips and thighs forever. Yes, it is true that fats are more calorie-dense than carbohydrates and proteins, but some fats are healthy and essential, and the female reproductive system won’t function properly without them.
Research has also shown that muscular women who also have higher levels of body fat have more protection against heart disease.
“Weight gain is influenced by many different factors, not one specific macronutrient,” says White. “Healthy fats actually play a key role in satiety and nutrient absorption.”
If you want to trim fat out of your diet, start with saturated and trans fats, which have been consistently linked to heart disease and weight gain.
Bring healthy, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats into your diet, which are found in foods like nuts, seeds, avocadoes, fatty fish and olive oil – in appropriate portions rather than avoiding fat altogether.
4. Myth: Organic Foods Should Always Be Prioritised
Foods grown with a focus on sustainability, soil and crop standards, and limited use of pesticides have an environmental appeal for many health-minded shoppers, and women are more likely than men to prefer buying and eating organic food.
But if the price tag feels a little out of reach, you don’t need to feel guilty if you chose conventionally grown options instead.
“While organic foods can reduce exposure to certain pesticides, they are not necessarily more nutritious than conventionally grown options,” says White. “The most important goal is to eat more fruit and vegetables overall, organic or not, so choose what fits your budget and access.”
The Environmental Working Group puts out an annual list, the Clean Fifteen, that shows which types of produce have the lowest amounts of pesticides. This year these include pineapple, sweet corn (fresh and frozen), avocadoes, papaya, onions, peas, asparagus, cabbage, cauliflower, watermelon, mangoes, bananas, carrots, mushrooms and kiwifruit.
5. Myth: Protein Is the Most Important Nutrient to Prioritise in My Diet
Between the low-carb dieters, the GLP-1 users who need protein to prevent muscle loss, and midlife women who prioritise it for leaner muscle mass, protein is definitely the “it” nutrient right now. But that doesn’t mean it should crowd all other food groups off your plate.
“Grain foods, fruit, and vegetables provide fibre and a multitude of important vitamins and minerals that the body needs,” Rust says.
Beyond nutritional deficiencies, a high-protein diet can also lead to digestive issues, and potential kidney strain or heart-health problems, particularly if you eat a lot of red or processed meats that contain high amounts of saturated fats.
Nutrition guidelines suggest that adults should eat 1.2 to 1.6 grams (g) of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. So if you weigh 150 pounds, you should aim to eat approximately 82 to 109 g of protein a day.
SOURCE: Everyday Health
