5 Big Food and Fitness Myths

1. Fat-Free Is Care-Free

Low-fat, reduced fat and fat-free. They wouldn't slap it on the front of packaging in big bright letters if people didn't think it was somehow better for them. The problem is that calories are still calories, whether they come from fat, protein, sugar, or whatever else. AND, fat has a high energy density, making you feel fuller on less calories. It doesn't mean all fat is good for you, or that you shouldn't choose foods low in trans fat, but you're kind of defeating the purpose if you have to eat twice as much to feel full because your avoiding foods with fat. More info.

2. Weight Loss Can Be Targeted To A Specific Area Of The Body

The biggest offender in this one is ab workouts. I've seen a ridiculous array of ab workout equipment on the market claiming to give you rock hard abs in only 15 minutes a day. Yeah, sure.... The same goes for every other area of your body. Yes, working out a specific part of your body will help to build muscle in that specific area, but it won't do a bit a good for your outward appearance if there is still a layer of fat covering your brand new muscles. Basically, you can't target where you burn calories or lose fat. You can only target where you build muscle, which will only be noticed once the fat is gone.

3. Stretching Before A Workout Decreases Risk Of Injury

This one's a tough one. Most advice on proper fitness includes stretching as a must before any workout. But think about it this way; The reason for stretching is to get your body warmed up for the various ranges of motion your body will be subjected to during your workout. The problem is that when you stretch, your muscles, tendons and joints are being put through that range of motion while still cold. The proper way to get ready for a workout is to do 5-10 minutes on a treadmill, bike or elliptical, then stretch, then get to your main workout. Yeah, it adds a bit of extra time in, but it's a small price for keeping all your muscles and tendons in tact. More info.

4. Cravings Are Caused By Nutrient Deficiencies

Right away, a red flag with this one is that if you've noticed, your cravings are usually for chocolate and other things you generally find tasty. I've met very few people who have a craving for kelp (iodine), celery (vitamins B1, B2, B6, and C) or rice bran (fiber). Most recent studies have shown that cravings tend to have an emotional or pyshcological cause, rather than physiological. That's not to say that no cravings are caused by a nutrient deficiency, and there is still a lot of debate in the medical community, but it does mean the next time you're craving a candy bar, it probably isn't your body telling you that you need more sugar, caramel and peanuts...

5. Eat As Many Fruits & Vegetables As You Want

A calorie is a calorie is a calorie. You can become overweight eating nothing but broccoli the same as if you were shoveling in twinkles all day. Sure, the twinkles would get the job done faster, but where the danger comes in is that many people let their guard down regarding portion size when eating something considered healthy. As healthy as it may be, it still contains calories, which most fitness experts come back to as the be all and end all of weight loss. That's one reason our products, such as CrispyFruit are portion controlled.