Nutrition Myths Busted: Separating Fact from Fiction

Nutrition advice is easy to find and hard to trust. One scroll through social media and you’ll see dozens of conflicting opinions about carbs, calories, detoxing, or how often you should eat. For people who just want to feel better, look better, and make smart choices, it can feel impossible to know who or what to believe.

Rather than chasing the next trend, it's often more helpful to start by clearing out the noise—and that means calling out the myths that won’t seem to die.

Myth #1: Carbs Make You Gain Weight

Carbs are one of the most misunderstood components of a healthy diet. Despite their reputation in diet culture, they don’t inherently lead to weight gain. In fact, carbohydrates are your body’s most efficient energy source, fueling everything from your brain to your workouts to your recovery.

What causes weight gain is a sustained calorie surplus—eating more than your body needs over time. That surplus can come from carbs, fats, or even protein. Removing carbs may produce quick weight loss at first, but much of that is water and glycogen loss, not true fat loss.

Rather than cutting carbs completely, the more effective strategy is to choose high-quality sources like fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains—and to pair them with protein and healthy fats to keep blood sugar levels stable and cravings in check.

Myth #2: You Have to Eat Clean 100% of the Time

The idea that you need to be “perfect” with your eating to be healthy is a trap. This all-or-nothing mindset leads many people to fall into cycles of restriction, guilt, and rebound eating. The truth is, no one eats perfectly all the time—and trying to creates more stress than success.

What matters most is your overall pattern, not individual meals. You can have a high-quality diet that includes flexibility, enjoyment, and balance. In fact, that kind of approach tends to be more sustainable long-term because it supports your lifestyle rather than controlling it.

At AlterMe, we’ve seen that clients who succeed with their health goals aren’t the ones who follow rigid meal plans. They’re the ones who build habits around structure, not perfection—and learn to include the foods they love in a way that still supports progress.

Myth #3: Eating Less Is Always Better for Fat Loss

It’s tempting to believe that the more you restrict, the faster you'll see results. But eating too little for too long can backfire. When calories drop too low, your body starts adapting—slowing down energy expenditure, adjusting hormone output, and conserving resources to protect itself.

In some cases, this leads to increased hunger, fatigue, poor sleep, and a decline in performance. And without adequate protein or resistance training, you risk losing lean muscle—something that makes it harder to burn calories and maintain results.

Effective fat loss doesn’t mean going to extremes. It means maintaining a moderate deficit, prioritizing protein, and keeping your body moving. The slower, more consistent approach may not grab headlines—but it builds results that last.

Myth #4: Detoxing Is Useless or Always Harmful

The detox debate has created a lot of confusion. Some dismiss it altogether, arguing that the body detoxifies naturally through the liver, kidneys, and digestive system. That’s true—but it’s also true that modern life introduces more environmental stressors, processed food, and lifestyle strain than our detox systems were ever designed to handle.

While extreme or prolonged detox protocols can be problematic, structured and short-term detox approaches—such as nutrient-rich liquid fasting, eliminating inflammatory foods, or supporting liver pathways with targeted nutrition—can offer meaningful support when done safely.

Not all detox methods are created equal. What matters most is intentionality and nourishment. A short-term reset, when approached through whole-foods, hydration, fiber, and rest, can help reduce inflammation, improve digestion, and reestablish better habits.

At AlterMe, our approach is never about punishing the body for a “bad weekend”—it’s about supporting it when systems feel overworked, sluggish, or out of sync.

How to Spot Nutrition Misinformation

Sorting through all the conflicting advice can be tough, but there are a few questions that help you assess whether a claim is worth listening to:

• Does it sound too good to be true?

• Is it based on extremes or rigid rules?

• Are there long-term studies or evidence supporting it?

• Does it consider individual needs and context?

Watch for buzzwords like “quick fix,” “cleanse,” or “hack,” especially when they’re attached to products or programs that promise rapid, dramatic results. Reliable guidance doesn’t rely on fear—it helps you make informed, practical decisions that are easy to maintain.

The Takeaway

Nutrition doesn’t have to be complicated—but thanks to persistent myths, it often feels that way. Carbs aren’t the enemy. Eating clean isn’t about perfection. And detoxing isn’t inherently harmful, so long as it’s done with purpose and structure.

What works best for your body will depend on your goals, history, preferences, and physiology. The more you learn to question outdated advice—and replace it with education, not extremes—the more freedom and results you’ll gain.

Whether you're rebuilding your nutrition foundation or refining it, clarity is the first step. The more empowered you are with the truth, the less power misinformation has to derail your progress.

References

Hall, K.D., et al. (2016). Calorie for Calorie, Dietary Fat Restriction Results in More Body Fat Loss than Carbohydrate Restriction in People with Obesity. Cell Metabolism. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2015.12.027

Helms, E.R., et al. (2014). Evidence-Based Recommendations for Natural Bodybuilding Contest Preparation: Nutrition and Supplementation. JISSN. https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1550-2783-11-20

National Institutes of Health (NIH). (2022). Detox diets: Do they work? Are they safe? https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/detoxes-and-cleanses

Harvard Health Publishing. (2020). The Truth About Carbs. https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/the-truth-about-carbs

Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. (2023). Understanding Fad Diets and Detoxes. https://www.eatright.org/health/dietary-guidelines-and-myplate/fad-diets