The 5 Worst Nutrition Myths For Men Over 40

Are you grasping at straws trying to keep up with every piece of nutritional advice you hear?

I'm sure you've heard all the conflicting advice before…

“You should eat low-carb… You should eat low-fat… You should count calories… You shouldn't count a single calorie!!”

For us guys looking to live healthier, all this conflicting information is enough to make our heads spin.

That's precisely why our men's health experts here at The Fit Father Project put together this article for you.

It's time to slow down, separate fact from fiction, and figure out which eating habits actually matter. I'll show you everything in this guide.

Specifically, you're about to discover the 5 absolute worst nutrition myths that you've been told, and (more importantly), what you need to be eating instead…

This article I created for you will explain the 5 worst nutrition myths for men over 40 and (hopefully) debunk them for good. After reading, you'll walk away knowing exactly how you can get your health back on track through proper diet and nutrition.

Sound good? Good. Let's dive on in…

Myth #1: Carbs are “The Enemy”

Perhaps the most common eating advice given to men trying to lose weight is to “cut out carbs.”

In reality, carbs aren't always the “bad guy.”

In fact, as I show you in our Free 1-Day Fat Loss Meal Plan For Men 40+, eating the right kinds of carbs at the right times is actually helpful for losing fat, building muscle, and sticking to your diet long-term.

Based on the way our brains are wired, any diet that is overly restrictive will cause you to crave carbs and cause your energy levels to crash – both of which will make it much more likely that you'll quit your diet.

Sound familiar? Have you fallen off track with a restrictive diet before? If so, I feel confident in guessing you don't want to walk down that path again in the future…

That's why it's important to know that your body functions really well with the right kinds of carbohydrates in your diet. Carbs are the body's main preferred energy source – powering your brain, heart, kidneys, muscles and (much ) more.

That's why we advocate AGAINST super low-carb restrictive diets here at the Fit Father Project.

If you never want to eat carbs again, go ahead and give a ketogenic diet a shot.

Meanwhile, our Fit Father Project 30-Day Program members will be over here – continuing to eating our fruit, sprouted rice, vegetables, and pasta – while still losing fat and keeping it off long-term.

Here at the Fit Father Project, we advocate a balanced approach to eating – as we outline in our Free 1-Day Meal Plan For Men 40+ – where your meals contain lean proteins, healthy carbs, AND healthy fats. Nothing is restricted. You enjoy the delicious foods you love… and you feel energized 24/7.

Click here if you'd like my team to email you a free copy of this meal plan.

The types of carbs you eat REALLY MATTERS too…

Even though carbs are not the enemy of fat loss and health, it's also important to know that there are different kinds of carbs that you should eat (and those you should avoid).

The key to enjoying carbs while still losing fat and feeling energized is to eat the right kinds of carbs at the right times.

The Good Carbs we recommend you eat are “slow-burning” higher fiber carbs that digest at a gradual rate (compared to sugary carbs) – providing your body with a steady stream of energy and nutrition.

You've probably heard these “Slow Burn” carbs called “Complex carbs.” They are foods like these:

• Broccoli
• Certain kinds of rice
• Oatmeal
• Apples
• Berries
• Kidney beans
• Quinoa

On the other hand, simple carbs are “fast burning” (they spike & crash your blood sugar very quickly) and do not contain nearly as much nutritional value as most “slow-burn carbs” – other than having “empty calories.”

Simple carbs are foods like the obvious culprits:

• Soda
• Pie
• Cake
• Candy
• Processed snack foods

But also these more “sneaky” simple carb culprits:

• Fruit Juices – even freshly squeezed*
• Most fruit smoothies
• Breakfast Cereals

Myth #2: Cholesterol is Bad For you

Woah there “Dr. Anthony”…

I know there's not too many people who would argue that sugar is good for you… But cholesterol!? That's definitely bad for us right…?

Wrong.

For the past 2 decades, we have been told that cholesterol is a bad, bad thing. You may have heard that “high cholesterol causes heart attacks.” And you may have even been prescribed tons of cholesterol-lowering “statin” medications (like Lipitor)…

But brand new research has now come out showing that eating foods that contain cholesterol isn't actually bad.(3)

For starters there is a big difference between the cholesterol we eat in foods (this is called dietary cholesterol) and the cholesterol that our bodies make (what shows up on your blood work panel).

Yes, we want healthy cholesterol levels on our blood work, and, it turns out from the new research, that eating good dietary cholesterol in moderation can actually help improve cholesterol levels.

In fact, good dietary cholesterol found in foods like free-range eggs helps:

1) Increase testosterone naturally – most guys don't know that cholesterol is actually the backbone molecule our bodies need to build testosterone.

See the similarity between these two compounds? Our bodies NEED choleserol to produce testosterone, and when we take cholesterol-lowering medications (like statin drugs), we often kill our testosterone levels (4.)

“Low T” for us guys over 40 causes decreased libido, decreased sexual performance, low-energy, & higher rates of heart disease and Alzheimer's – all of which we want to avoid.

2) Cholesterol improves brain function – our brains need cholesterol to maintain the proper fluidity of our cell membranes (5).

3) Cholesterol even boosts your immune system. Crazy right? New research is coming out that shows that our bodies good cholesterol levels are decreased when we get an infection (flu, etc.) and consuming more cholesterol (from good free-range eggs like we recommend) can actually keep your immune system strong.

In fact, Individuals with LDL cholesterol below 70 (very low) have 15 times the risk of developing cancer, and five times the risk of contracting sepsis (blood poisoning), according to a 2007 Israeli study of 203 patients (6). Most guys don't know this.

For anyone taking cholesterol-lowering drugs like Statins (Lipitor), keep in mind that these drugs can cause muscle loss, brain fog, lower libido, and erectile dysfunction.

With the proper diet that incorporates good cholesterol (free-range eggs cooked on low-heat), your total blood cholesterol levels can dramatically improve like our Fit Father 30X Program Member below who dropped 35lbs in 3 months and saw his cholesterol levels improve by 100 points following our meal plan.

Here's his blood work:

That's over a 100 point drop in his total cholesterol into a perfectly healthy range – while IMPROVING his ratio of “good” (HDL) to “bad” (LDL) cholesterol!

Our Fit Father Program members eat eggs, beef, and other great protein foods – while getting great results like these. In addition to dramatically improving cholesterol levels, this particular program member lost 35lbs, and his doctor took him off his cholesterol meds. Not too bad, eh?

With the proven eating plan, this is 100% possible for you too.

Here's our Free 1-Day Meal Plan you can get started with today.
And if you'd like to learn more on the truth about cholesterol, click here to read this extensive blog we wrote on the topic.

Myth #3: Breakfast is the Most Important Meal

You know those huge breakfasts we see glorified in the movies? – with plates overflowing with toast, fruit, croissants, & orange juice…

…those meals are pretty much the farthest thing from a healthy breakfast.

In fact, a “good balanced breakfast” is just as much about the time you eat as it is about what you eat. Here are a few other breakfast health guidelines that matter:

First off, breakfast is all about eating quality protein and good fats.

I showed you earlier that “carbs are not the enemy.” They certainly aren't.

However, eating a lower-carb breakfast that prioritizes lean proteins and healthy fats is a really good idea for health, energy, and weight loss.

Eating proteins and healthy fats first thing in the morning set your metabolism and brain off to be focused and energized for the day.

Fast burning carbs like toast, cereal, and fruit will give you a jolt of energy that will peter out very quickly in your day.

That's why we recommend the following types of meals for breakfast: low-carb breakfast protein shakes, whole free-range eggs, quality breakfast meats, nuts, and seeds.

For the exact recipes we recommend for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, you can get a free copy of our 1-Day Meal Plan here.

Second off, people also think that breakfast should always be eaten close to waking up.

In actuality, waiting until around 10 a.m. can be very beneficial for fat burning. By delaying your breakfast, your body burns more fat in the morning before you eat.

It is a HUGE MYTH that not eating lots of small meals every day (or skipping breakfast) will cause your metabolism to slow down. This has been disproven by countless of new studies (7, 8, 9, 10).

That said, you can still absolutely enjoy a lower-carb, high protein breakfast upon waking – while still losing fat and feeling fantastic. Yet, there are some clear metabolic, fat burning, and energy benefits to pushing your first meal back a few hours.

To learn how to make the world's best breakfast for weight loss, read this blog.

Myth #4: Healthy Food Is Boring

You've seen those super “Spartan” diets before…

Grilled Chicken, rice, broccoli: repeat.

Your diet does NOT have to look like that – especially if your goal is to lose some weight!

In fact, as I mentioned earlier, you should AVOID those types of super restrictive, rigid approaches that won't work for you long-term. Eating the same boring foods every day will just make you want to quit a diet – not motivate you to continue with the plan.

A balanced diet with unprocessed foods that adheres to some good portion control guidelines is the key to eating foods you actually like within your diet.

Here at the Fit Father Project, we use the principle of “Building Perfect Plates” to guide the portion sizes we recommend for our program members.

This “Perfect Plate” concept shows you to portion your food out correctly:

• 1/2 of your plate should be any kind of veggies you enjoy.
• 1/4 of your plate should be lean protein.
• 1/4 of your plate should be healthy carbs you love.

The best part? There are HUNDREDS of food combinations that you can create with this framework.

To learn more about the Perfect Plates you should make everyday, make sure you get a FREE Copy of our 1-Day Meal Plan here. Inside, I'll show you Perfect Plates for breakfast, lunch, snack, & dinner.

Myth #5: Dieting Has To Be Complicated

Many bad diets sound something like this…

• Eat 6 small meals per day (who has time for that?)
• Make this complicated shake (who has the money for all those ingredients?)
• Eat these special foods (what store even carries them?)
• Avoid gluten completely (now what can I eat?)

The list could go on and on…

Here's the truth: dieting (when done correctly) is not and should not be complicated.

Here are the three basic principles for you to start with:

1. Eat whole, unprocessed foods most of the time
2. Portion your chosen foods into Perfect Plates
3. Calculate your ideal number of calories just like we show you inside our Free 1-Day Meal Plan

It really is as simple as 1, 2, 3.

I hope this article helped you!

I'm really glad you found us here at The Fit Father Project and took the time out of your busy day to read this guide.

Now, even with all the right information about healthy eating, it can be a long road ahead if you don't have a team to support you.

If you're interested in eating healthier, losing, weight, and building muscle… our Fit Father Project team would love to support you. We have helped thousands of busy fathers like yourself get healthy.

You can do it for your partner, your kids, or for yourself. Every single person in your life will recognize your newfound health.

Here are TWO (2) Action Steps to start with TODAY:

1. Download your free copy of our 1-Day Meal Plan and join our mailing list.
2. To jumpstart your results, check out our proven Fit Father 30-Day Program (FF30X). It's our best-selling program that's helped thousands of fathers lose weight for good.

I hope you enjoyed this article. I can't wait to help you get healthy.
Your new friend & health coach,

Small note about research cited in this article:

*Always remember: weight loss results & health changes/improvements vary from individual to individual. Just because these studies cite certain data does not mean you will experience these results/outcomes. Always consult with your doctor before making decisions about your health. This is not medical advice – simply well-researched information. Thanks for reading!