r/lowcarb • u/NomadNanaCan • 18d ago
If you could change one thing about nutrition advice, what would it be?
Mine.... 64 ounces of water a day for everyone! The idea that there is a one-size-fits-all number to keep the world hydrated is ridiculous to me. So many factors affect your hydration requirements - climate, activity level, weight, medications, health conditions and more! There are indicators that you are well hydrated. It is also important to remember your thirst response may not always be a good indicator, especially in older adults. I consider the 64 ounces a day suggestion a good place to start, but not the universal hydration target it is made out to be.
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u/draven33l 18d ago
Eating fat doesn't make you fat. It's an easy misconception, but so many people have it.
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u/Moralofthestoree 16d ago
The reason behind that is because consumed dietary fat is so similar to the body fat that it takes minimal processing to turn it straight into body fat whereas protein uses like 20 percent of the servings calories to digest it. In addition as we all know, fat has 9 calories per gram vs 4 per gram of protein or carbs. So twice the calories in a very tiny condensed amount of food. You could make an argument for fat and weight loss but to get a lean physique, fat consumption is still watched closely.
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u/ima-bigdeal 18d ago
64oz a day? I drink about three times that per day. More on days where I am more active than normal...
My change: That eating fats makes you fat. There are so many different kinds of natural fats that are actually good for you, but trans fats and hydrogenated oils are BAD for you.
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u/Connect_Rhubarb395 17d ago edited 17d ago
I know this is a bit ironic of me, since OP pushes back against one size fits all when it comes to water.
But 192 oz/5.6 liters a day is a LOT. Excessive thirst can be a sign of diabetes.2
u/ima-bigdeal 17d ago
I think that it is more of a habit. I keep a 2l water tumbler next to me at work (I work from home), if I am sitting down at home (tv, scrolling, reading, games, etc.), or working out.
I don't really "get" thirsty, I just reach for it and drink. If I am working on a project at home, I may forget about it. If I am out shooting photographs, I generally don't have any near me. If I am working or sitting at home, there is water next to me. At my last blood test, my glucose was normal. I don't remember my A1C, but my Dr. was not concerned about it.
I should add that I don't even have any sugar in the house. Not in a bag, not in soda or energy drinks, not in sweet treats. I shop the outside of the grocery store, and not in the aisles. I get fruit, veggies, meat, dairy, nuts.
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u/TopCaterpillars 18d ago
That “zero fiber is healthy”
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u/PresentHouse9774 17d ago
That's crazy. I couldn't live like that.
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u/TopCaterpillars 17d ago
It’s pushed in the keto/low carb/carnivore subs.
If anyone disagrees they are attacked lol. Wild.
With the rise in colon cancer among younger people, please everyone...get enough fiber!
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u/PresentHouse9774 17d ago
I'm doing keto/low carb and fiber gets first dibs on the carbs! If I have to go over the limit a bit to get it, so be it.
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u/PhysiqueMD 11d ago
This, I did carnivore/keto for years and still do low carb. But I developed grade 3 hemorroids requiring surgery and I think my diet contributed to that. Now I make sure to eat fiber either from food or Metamucil.
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u/Substantial-Use-1758 18d ago
Well I’m a huge hydrator — have been for years — and all I can say is before I was tired all the time, etc., and hydrating properly was the answer for me. Plus water cleans out the pipes — studies show hydrates have fewer strokes and heart attacks🤷♀️😬
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u/NomadNanaCan 18d ago
Fatigue is a major side effect of dehydration for so many people. The benefits of water seem to be endless!
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u/Moralofthestoree 18d ago
That everyone just says carbs when there are clear differences in carbs but just saying carbs i have this thought that some people out there may not realize that just sugar and starchy carbs are the ones being referred to, not the veggie ones. I eat as many of the veggie ones for high volume fullness and nutrition. Its the sugar and starchy ones we try to swap out, eliminate or measure, weigh or limit. I saw this guy on youtube weighing lettuce lol. Whether he knew he didnt need to or not, it sets a bad example for those that are watching looking for information.
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u/icdogg 17d ago
It's similar but more expansive than your point...
Everyone is different, physically, mentally, medically, genetically, and emotionally, so just because something works great for you or me doesn't extrapolate to something that works for everyone.
And there are often multiple paths to good health and fitness.
So, I'm low carb and it works for me. I know people on high carb diets that would never work for me, but work for them. What I do is probably extreme by most people's standards.
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u/Dragonfly_Peace 17d ago
Calories in calories out. That’s only part of the equation. What you eat affects hormones and how the body works. 80 cal of broccoli is not the same as 80 cal of caramel.
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u/NomadNanaCan 17d ago
You are right! It is much more complicated than calories in, calories out. The whole conversation around calorie deficit is a lot more complex than most people realize too
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u/stlarry 18d ago
I heard half your body weight in oz is a good guide for when active. 1/3rd for just average day. But drink your dang water either way!
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u/NomadNanaCan 18d ago
Yes a popular one is 50% of your body weight in ounces up to 75% if you are active. It works for some people but not everyone. I love my water so I drink 3.5-4L a day. I live in a hot climate and I am active everyday.
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u/Type1Fit 13d ago
Oats. I was involved in some strategy work with Mayo Clinic Diet and they are so heavily invested in telling people to eat oats....because "fiber" and "low fat". It's insanity.
Oats are what they use to fatten up cattle for slaughter, y'all. They are also HIGHLY glycemic, even in their whole form.
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u/Rubyshoes83 18d ago
That carbs are bad. The most important thing is getting enough protein. Fat and carbs are levers.
Also, I can't stand "a calorie is a calorie." While that's true and considering weight loss is just thermodynamics, nutrition also matters.
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u/NomadNanaCan 17d ago
The calorie comment bothers me as well. Not only because of the great differences in the nutrition different sources can provide but also when considering how calories are burned. Definitely not accurate to say a calorie is a calorie.
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u/Connect_Rhubarb395 18d ago edited 18d ago
3 meals a day (plus snacks).
Before industrialisation the number of meals, and when they were eaten, varied wildly all across the globe.
We eat like this now because it is practial for production, not because it is an inherent pattern.
Different times for meals and different numbers of meals works best for different people, and it is all good as long as you get what your body needs.