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Misreporting dietary intake
Misreporting dietary intake is more common than you think. This becomes an issue when we try to draw health, body composition and/or performance associations based on inaccurate data. The reasons for misreporting vary (not everyone lies on purpose) and does the level of misreporting (i.e. how far off are the reported vs “real” values). However, there are clear trends: for example, most people tend to underreport (say they ate less than they did) than overreport. What is misreporting dietary intake? Misreporting is failing to report with accuracy how much a person ate. Underreporting means reporting less than the actual amount, overreporting means reporting more than the actual amount. In science,…
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Balancing out overeating
Most people will overeat during the holiday period and/or while travelling. This is normal and forcing yourself to resist every single morsel of food can have detrimental effects to your mental health and enjoyment. A better approach is balancing out overeating by following the tips below. Why care about overeating? Eating and drinking more than usual is normal during the end of year holidays. Gaining weight and/or body fat as a result is also normal. For many people, going back to their routine will eventually take care of that. However, you might want to speed up this process if you have health conditions that are worsened by excess weight, you…
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Intermittent fasting
Intermittent fasting is a dietary pattern that involves voluntary energy intake restriction. In this article we explore the different types of intermittent fasting, potential benefits and more. What is fasting? Fasting is not eating. It is common in normal life, for example: we don’t eat between bedtime and breakfast and prior to blood tests or some procedures (e.g. colonoscopy, surgery). What is not fasting? Technically, any form or food or drink intake breaks a fast. In practice, however, water and potentially some energy-free (i.e. non-caloric) beverages such as unsweetened black coffee do not seem to make an impact in fasting status. Below are some examples of what some people do…
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How to eat less when you move less
The most basic reason we eat food is too meet our energy requirements. During this time of self-isolation and social distancing, most of us are moving a lot less than what we are used to. The question becomes: how to eat less when you move less (and when you have 24/7 access to a fridge and a pantry)? Important note! Keep reading only if you want to control your energy intake while you are spending less energy. Some people have too much to worry about at the moment to care about energy intake, and that’s ok. Estimated energy requirements The amount of energy (i.e. kilojoules or kilocalories) you need to…
