How to tell if nutrition information is...
...less than stellar
I always want my clients and patients to feel empowered when it comes to taking care of themselves, learning about nutrition, and seeking out health information. I am, of course, happy to be their nutrition “Google,” but that’s not so realistic in everyday life nor over the long term. Because there is so much misinformation, conflicting information and just downright confusing health and nutrition information out there in the world, we often have conversations around knowing how to tell if information is legit, and who to trust among the millions of individuals disseminating nutrition information. Here are some of my thoughts.
this topic gets me a bit fired up so, while I make no apologies, I am just preparing you.
If something seems too good to be true
It very likely is! It is so important to keep this in mind when it comes to nutrition and wellness. The most obvious example here is the diet industry in general, promising quick and effortless weight loss, specific changes to body size or composition, and the like by just following X diet, taking X supplements, following X meal plan, etc. None of that works in the long term, and is therefore quite literally, unbelievable.
An individual or diet is vilifying or demonizing certain foods or food groups
RED FLAG. This automatically makes me do a credential check (see more about that below), because scientific research proving any one food or food group is harmful or toxic to health for all people doesn’t really exist. Not having education and credentials in the health and medical field also means you may not know how to interpret scientific data, and that’s a problem. I also think demonizing certain foods comes more from what is trendy (see: gluten, especially 5-10 years ago, and seed oils now) than any reputable science. The alternative and functional medicine world can also contribute to this problem, by in my opinion, generalizing certain conditions (e.g., you have “inflammation”, “adrenal fatigue”, or need to “heal your gut”) and prescribing specific, restrictive diets to fix them. While I don’t want to completely discount functional and alternative medicine (I know the U.S. healthcare system is far from perfect, believe me), I also have a lot of trouble understanding certain recommendations and philosophies that lack evidence. I recently read this great book that speaks more about this, and plan on reading Christy Harrison’s new book, The Wellness Trap, that just came out this week.
You are being told to cut out specific foods or food groups
I am going to speak to this one in a general sense, assuming the information is coming from social media or the internet, first. And that’s because this is too specific a recommendation to be disseminated to the masses of individuals reading content, who are all very different physiologically, mentally, and emotionally. There is no food or food group that, across the board for all human beings, should be cut out of the diet. I guess I could also tie this together with those making broad recommendations to most of their patients, like: avoid gluten and dairy, and/or on a supplement protocol. Here, we are forgetting about individualized care, which is so important when it comes to nutrition. Cutting out a specific food or food group might make sense for a client or patient of mine that I’m seeing if, for example, they have celiac disease, a lactose intolerance, newly diagnosed IBD, acid reflux, or a food allergy. Even then, a thoughtful discussion should take place, especially if the patient or client has a history of an eating disorder or disordered eating.
An individual is trying to sell something
This one really makes my blood boil, and a certain someone always comes to mind here (cough, Mark Hyman, cough). If an individual, even if they’re a doctor, dietitian, etc., is giving you a nutrition, diet, or supplement recommendation that also requires you to buy their supplements, books, protein powders, pre-packaged foods, fiber powders, etc., it’s a gigantic conflict of interest. Making money is very likely their priority number one, not your health.
Credentials
Credentials matter! What I mean here is that those with specific education in the healthcare sciences, have to pass a licensing exam, do continuing education, etc., are much more likely to be interpreting research correctly, have experience working with humans, and understand how the body works. However, relying solely on credentials may also be a bit tricky (I mean, let us not forget Dr. Oz). I will also say that just like dietitians, doctors, nurses, etc. are not immune from diet culture and its influence on their own behaviors and recommendations. The line between evidence-based recommendations and personal experiences when it comes to nutrition and wellness can also very often become blurred (“this worked for me, so…”), even with some of the best and well-meaning healthcare professionals. For example, a friend of mine recently saw an OB-GYN at a well-known hospital here in NYC who told her to go on a “water fast” because the doctor herself does them regularly. That sort of advice, aside from the fact that drinking only water for several days has no benefits whatsoever, can be incredibly harmful. I don’t think anyone or governing body knows exactly what to do about incidents like this, that are for sure happening more often these days.
It’s tough out there, friends, even for me. I hope this was a little bit helpful!
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Thank you so much for this article! There is so much misinformation out there, that its hard to weed through and figure out what is actually correct. I try to lead with the right scientific information in my blog, as well.