The 5 Most Common Food Rules: Debunked
You know already there is so. much. nutrition information floating around out there. A big chunk of it is often false and comes from absolutely nowhere. Sadly though, it not only creates confusion, but also nutrition rules and myths that become well believed and hard to debunk.
I’ve heard them all: don’t eat fruit and XYZ food together. Drink a gallon of apple cider vinegar in the morning to “detox” your body. Eating sugar will causes a host of diseases and should be avoided at all costs. Disclaimer: these are all highly exaggerated and absolutely, 100% false.
Here’s the thing though: when it comes to nutrition, there are no rules. Seriously, there are no rules. Sure, there are guidelines you can follow to make your diet healthy, balanced and satisfying, but still, no rules. Eating according to any hard, absolute rules prevents you from doing the one thing you actually should be doing: listening to your body. And doing this, listening to your body, is what allows you to honor your hunger cues, identify fullness and satisfy cravings.
When it comes to false nutrition rules and myths, I’ve heard every crazy one you can think of over the years as a dietitian. Here are some of the top ones I hear regularly and the actual truth behind them.
1. Food rule: You should only eat 1 piece of fruit per day. And you should eat it without other foods. And you shouldn’t eat it at night.
Food fact: You can and absolutely should eat more than 1 piece of fruit per day. And there are no rules about how or when to eat it.
Ideally, the recommended daily amount of fruit per day is about 2 servings. One serving of fruit = 1 piece or 1 cup. For example, 1 apple, banana or orange; 1 cup of grapes, berries or melon. That said, this is a guideline, not a rule. This guideline is intended to give you the micronutrients you need that are in different colored fruits (and vegetables). If you eat a little more than that some days, it’s truly no big deal. And if you eat a little less than that on other days, that’s no big deal either.
On top of that, there’s definitely no right or wrong way to eat fruit. The idea that fruit should or shouldn’t be eaten with certain foods is an absolute trash myth. Our bodies can digest many different foods - no matter how we pair them. It does not matter if you eat fruit alone or with a source of protein, carb, or fat.
And, just like our bodies can digest fruit no matter how we eat it, they also can digest fruit no matter when we eat it. If you’re craving a piece of fruit in the morning, go for it. And if you want fruit at night, have a piece then too. There’s no right or wrong time to eat fruit. It’s one of the most natural, healthy and micronutrient- and fiber-filled foods you can eat - eat it when you want it and how you want it.
2. Food rule: You should stop eating at 7pm for the night.
Food fact: There’s no time or deadline when you have to stop eating for the night.
Speaking of when to eat certain foods, let’s talk about the “no eating at night” rule. This one is so common but, believe it or not, there’s really no deadline about when you have to stop eating for the night.
Here’s the briefest summary you’ll ever read about how our metabolism works: we all have a resting metabolic rate (known as RMR). This means that our bodies burn a certain amount of calories at rest. Even if we were to lay in the bed the entire day, our bodies would be still be burning calories.
I’m fairly certain that this rule comes from the idea that we’re not moving around at night, so we’re not burning calories. And yes, while you probably aren’t running around, even if you’re watching TV, your body is still burning calories. It does not make a difference whether you eat at 6pm, 7pm, 8pm or 9pm. Food eaten at night does not equal “food that you won’t burn off” or will make you gain weight. And most importantly, if you’re hungry at night, eat something.
The only thing I tell clients to be mindful of is eating right before bed. Food does take some time to digest, so if you eat right before bed, it may cause heartburn or upset your stomach. In this case, try to give yourself about an hour before going to bed. Meaning if you go to sleep at 11pm, it’s really okay to have a snack if you’re hungry at 10pm. Nine times out of 10, having a snack at night versus going to bed hungry will help you sleep better too.
3. Food rule: You shouldn’t eat dessert every day.
Food fact: If you want dessert every day, eat dessert every day.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten asked about this. Sugar gets demonized so much in the media that the notion of eating it every single day seems like the worst possible thing you could do. But it’s not.
When it comes to dessert, if you’re craving it, eat it. A lot of us just generally enjoy sweet foods (or have a sweet tooth). Often times too, eating something sweet signals the end of the meal for many. And both of these are okay.
If you crave dessert every day, but don’t let yourself have it, instead, that craving will start to get insatiably strong. You’ll think about dessert often. And by the time you have it, it’ll be hard to eat just 1 cookie, 1 piece of chocolate or 1 bowl of ice cream instead of 3, 4 or 5 of them. By allowing yourself to have something you want - like dessert - every day, it’s much more likely that you’ll feel satisfied from a smaller amount. There will be some days where you might want more a little too, and that’s still okay too.
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with eating some dessert every day. A little added sugar is actually included in the dietary guidelines. In the scheme of an overall healthy diet, some added sugar - even daily - will not derail your health efforts. And, if it helps to you to feel satisfied, then it’s actually pretty beneficial.
4. Food rule: You should limit the amount of carbs you eat because eating too many carbs will make you gain weight.
Food fact: Carbs are not the enemy - they’re actually a really important nutrient.
Eating too much of anything *may* make you gain weight. There’s nothing wrong with carbs specifically. Carbohydrates are one of 3 main macronutrients, along with protein and dietary fat. They’re in virtually everything we eat in small or large quantities. And they’re essential.
Carbs include some of the most nutrient dense foods there are, like whole grains, fruit, and starchy vegetables like potatoes, corn, beans and peas. They’re one of the best sources of fiber in our diets. Fiber not only helps us to feel full, but research has also proven fiber beneficial in lowering cholesterol, increasing HDL (or good) cholesterol, protecting against heart disease, regulating blood sugar levels, and keeping you regular. Why would you want to limit that?! (Read more about carbs here).
On top of that, we actually need at least 130 grams of grams per day for our brains and bodies to function properly. Limiting carbs may help you lose weight initially because you’re decreasing your overall food intake, but this would happen with virtually any food group. Limiting carbs is not the way to go about it. Not only are they essential, but they also help us to feel satisfied. And, as you learned from food rule #3, when you restrict an entire food group or don’t feel satisfied, it only leads to insatiable cravings at some point.
Don’t limit the amount of carbs you eat. Instead, focus on whole grain, fiber-rich sources most of the time, allow refined carbs when the mood strikes too, and try to have at least a serving of them with each meal.
5. Food rule: If I listen to my body, I’ll just eat XYZ food all day and gain weight.
Food fact: If you listen to your body, you’ll crave a healthy mixture of nutritious and less nutritious foods.
I saved the best one for last. I hear this one the most often and it’s one of my favorites to debunk.
To start, I think this example is most helpful: in her book, Breaking Free from Emotional Eating, author Geneen Roth decided to experiment with this concept for herself. She told herself she could and would eat whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted. For 2 weeks straight, all she ate was cookies. She genuinely started to get concerned that she’d only ever want cookies. But after 2 weeks, something crazy happened: all she wanted was a fresh, crunchy salad. She couldn’t even look at cookies anymore.
If you’ve been ignoring cravings, restricting certain foods, or giving yourself subconscious rules to follow for a while, then it may take some time for you to feel satisfied once you listen to your body and let yourself have the foods you want. Like Roth, you may need more of a certain food to finally feel satisfied and crave other foods. But you will crave other foods.
Once a craving is finally satisfied, you’ll also start craving a mixture and variety of different foods and food groups.
I promise you, our bodies are smart. They know that they need certain nutrients to function and will subtly tell you so via cravings. There’s a reason that after a weekend of eating out all weekend, you may crave a home cooked, veggie-filled meal. This isn’t so you can “get back on track.” It’s your body’s way of telling you it needs more nutrients.
Once you get into the rhythm with this, most of the time, you’ll crave nutrient dense foods like veggies, fruits, protein and whole grains. Some of the time too, you’ll crave less nutrient dense but equally satisfying foods like cookies and French fries. Eating food for comfort (LINK to quarantine post) occasionally is completely normal and okay. And, as you know now, ignoring these cravings only makes them stronger and harder to manage/satisfy.
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Food rules can be hard to ignore. Their messaging is all over and they get subtly ingrained in our thoughts - whether we realize it or not. Being aware of these rules - and knowing the actual facts behind them - is the first step to eating based on your own cues, and not on your rules.
It’s okay if you noticed that you have some of these rules. A lot of times, they’re totally made subconsciously. Again, bringing awareness to them is an amazing first step to starting to get rid of.
Recognize what - subtle or not - food rules you may have. Question them. Ask yourself if there’s actually any truth behind them. For example, have you noticed any crazy negative effects from eating more than 1 piece of fruit per day? Or from eating after 7pm? I’m guessing probably not.
The more you challenge these rules, the easier it’ll be to slowly get rid of them. Because once you get rid of food rules, you can truly eat - and live - based on your own hunger, fullness and cravings. Eating is a huge part of our everyday life. Being able to eat based on your own cues - and not your rules - is truly one of the most freeing things you can do.
Want more tips on listening to your body and creating a healthy relationship with food? Check out my membership program, All Foods Fit, with 12 thorough lessons to teach easy ways to create a healthy relationship with food. Or, check out my e-book, 7 Days to Make All Foods Fit, to learn a step by step guide to create a healthier relationship with food in just 7 days.
