The nutritionist spoke about the dangers of fitness recipes published on the Internet

There is a huge amount of diverse content on the Internet, and the section with recipes for healthy eating is among the most popular. However, beautiful photos and promises of fast weight loss often hide mistakes and violations of the principles of dietetics. Maria Titova, a nutritionist at the WowFit online trainer recruitment service, told Izvestia on October 29 what are the dangers of such recipes and how to distinguish high-quality sources from questionable ones.

"Many fitness bloggers publish materials all the time to stay at the top, and this affects the quality of information. You can often see recipes thoughtlessly rewritten from other sources, and with errors: units of measurement, numbers, and sometimes even ingredients are lost. There are also texts translated incorrectly from foreign websites, which results in an inedible dish. But even if the recipe seems relatively high—quality and tested by the blogger himself, the most common and dangerous problem in such recipes remains ignoring the calorie content," Titova said.

According to the nutritionist, a large number of fitness bloggers, even well-known and reputable ones, emphasize in their recipes that the dish is made from "healthy" ingredients, without using "harmful" ones. However, evidence-based dietetics is based on a different principle: there are no foods that by themselves contribute to weight gain or loss. The body weight balance is determined only by caloric control and the ratio of macronutrients — proteins, fats and carbohydrates.

The nutritionist gave an example of one of the common inaccuracies found in online recipes. She explained that sometimes bloggers claim that wheat flour is a harmful product and replace it with almond flour. However, according to her, almond flour is twice as high in calories as wheat flour, and baking from it will turn out to be much more calorific, therefore it is no longer possible to call such a dish a dietary one. Titova noted that it is precisely such mistakes that often cause misunderstandings.

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"In order to find really high-quality recipes on the Internet, you need to pay attention to the calculation of BZHU, and this is important both for low-calorie diets, for weight loss, and for weight gain. Weight gain also does not imply uncontrolled consumption of high-calorie, especially fatty foods. When gaining weight, it is also important to take into account proteins, fats, carbohydrates, their ratio and the total calorie content of the dishes. The author who publishes the recipe should work hard and calculate the calorie content: the amount of proteins, fats and carbohydrates per 100 g of the finished product or per serving. Looking at these numbers, you can understand how well a dish suits a particular person's goals and what size portion they can afford," the expert said.

In addition, she added that even the "right" recipes may not be suitable for everyone, since rational nutrition is selected individually depending on specific tasks. So, if a doctor recommends eliminating gluten, lactose, animal fats, or certain allergens such as nuts or soy from the diet, then even a healthy recipe may not be suitable. There may also be a situation where the recipe does not match the individual nutrition plan, upsetting the balance of BZHU. In this case, Titova emphasized, it is better to abandon the preparation of this dish.

The expert recommended searching for the right prescriptions using neural networks, trusted sources, or consulting with doctors. It is also worth contacting qualified dietitians who give correct recommendations based on international guidelines and updated nutritional recommendations.

Nutritionist Mila Maslennikova revealed the effects of low-calorie diets on October 27. According to her, reducing calories by more than 20% of the norm or below the baseline level will increase stress, anxiety, and disrupt the balance of nutrient intake, which will cause deficiencies in essential vitamins and trace elements. This leads to a decrease in immunity, cognitive abilities, energy levels, and will affect the condition of the skin.

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