5 Sports Nutrition Myths Debunked

Guest Post by Caila Yates of Steady State Nutrition

As a dietitian specializing in eating disorder treatment and sports nutrition, I hear all kinds of myths around nutrition - what to eat, what not to eat, new products on the market, you name it.  Honestly, it’s HARD to know what’s real and what’s not these days.  Social media, magazines, and even some news outlets are constantly feeding us new health information, and it can be pretty convincing!  I’ll admit - even I see things online sometimes that I have to double check the research on because it’s so difficult to know what’s valid and what’s not.

In this article, I’m debunking some of the most common nutrition myths that I hear.

1. You should eat less on rest days

It’s common for athletes and active individuals to think “well, if I’m not exercising today, I shouldn’t have to eat as much.”  While I can understand where that thought process comes from, it’s not correct.

On a rest day, your body is doing quite a bit, even if you don’t feel it.  This is the day where your body is recovering from training, building muscle, and restoring glycogen stores in your muscles and your liver.  It’s important to give your body what it needs to be able to do these things before jumping into another week of training! 

In addition, it’s common for athletes to underfuel on big training days due to time spent exercising or appetite suppression.  A rest day is a great opportunity to “fill in the gaps” that you may have had earlier in the week.

Finally, it’s important to make sure that your body is fueled up and ready to go for the training week ahead.  If you don’t eat as much on a rest day, it’s likely that you’ll show up to your next training session feeling depleted, and unable to perform at your best.

Long story short - your intake on a rest day should be very similar to your intake on a training day.

2.  Sugar is bad for athletes

Sugar gets a bad rep in the health world.  In reality, sugar can be an athlete’s secret weapon!  Sugar is a simple carbohydrate that quickly breaks down to glucose in the body.  Glucose is the body’s preferred source of energy for any kind of physical activity.  So, in sports, the faster that a carbohydrate can break down to glucose, the faster you can use it while you’re exercising.

Carbohydrates not only give us energy, but they can also increase power output, decrease your rate of perceived exertion (RPE), and help you stay cognitively sharp while you’re exercising.  So, before your next workout, try having some gummy worms, a Gatorade, or even juice!

3.  Eating during exercise causes GI distress

For athletes who experience GI distress such as constipation, bloating, or diarrhea while exercising, it’s easy to blame whatever product you’re using.  However, more often than not, your GI issues are rooted in something else - not the gel or sports drink that you’re consuming.

The culprit of GI issues is typically one of the following:

• Too much fiber intake in your day-to-day
  While fiber is an important part of the diet, too much of it can be hard on your gut.  Fiber takes longer to break down in your gut, and can therefore cause GI issues as you’re working out.

• Restriction or low energy availability
  The restriction of energy intake over a long period of time can slow down gut function, leading to bloating and/or constipation.  This can cause discomfort on a day-to-day basis AND when you’re exercising.

• Not hydrating enough throughout the day
  When we’re dehydrated, there is less blood flow to the gut.  Our guts need that blood flow in order to keep things moving correctly.  On top of that, our body sends blood from our guts to peripheral parts of the body (think limbs) when we work out.  So, if we’re going into a workout dehydrated, it’s unlikely that the gut will have what it needs to function well.

• Not using electrolytes during exercise

  Plain water tends to rush straight through your GI tract, which can cause diarrhea during workouts.  However, electrolytes can help to slow that down because it stimulates the gut more.

4.  You shouldn’t eat after 7pm

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard someone say this.  This is an old wives’ tale at this point!  Some people believe that eating before bed will cause poor sleep, weight gain, or slow down metabolism.  This is simply not true!

As a matter of fact, I encourage many people to eat an evening snack - especially athletes.  It can be tough for athletes to meet their energy needs throughout the day, so this evening snack can help them fill in any gaps they may have had earlier in the day!

5.  Fasted exercise is better for performance

Some people believe that fasted workouts help to “boost metabolism” and to burn more fat.  In reality, fasted workouts lead to poorer performance, and in some cases, can contribute to low energy availability or RED-S.

Think about it - if you’re going into a workout fasted, your body is running on fumes!  You’re not going to get that boost of energy that you would if you ate before, which means you won’t be able to push yourself or get as much out of your workout.  I recommend always having some simple carbs before training, such as a bagel, cereal, juice, or gummies.

If you’re having trouble discerning what’s valid and what’s not when it comes to nutrition, consider reaching out to a sports psychologist or dietitian who can help you understand what’s best for your body!