How do you know you’re getting the right nutrition advice? Here’s what to look out for

As a registered dietitian, it’s hard not to notice the plethora of diet and nutrition advice that is available today, especially on TV and social media. Honestly, most of it is a bombardment of pure nonsense.

Here are 3 things I watch for:

• Advice given by people without the education/experience or proper credentials in nutrition
• A commercial that says a vitamin supplement is “clinically proven” without a link to any clinical research study for review
• Any sensationalism around a weight loss diet especially when I hear the words, “lose the weight and keep it off”

I see these messages on a daily basis — everywhere.  I know I’m not the only one. I’m here to say call out your inner critic. Here’s why.

Everyone from your mother, next-door neighbor to the hottest celebrity will want to tell you how to care for your body because of something that worked for them

Sometimes folks mean well. A mother is concerned with their child’s health and wellbeing, notices they’ve put on some weight. Others are looking to make money. Diet books written by celebrities are big sellers. Celebrity endorsements can be very persuasive for some people. I’ve seen sales pitches that try to get an audience to believe they’ll finally achieve better health when they buy their product, like vitamin supplements or detox diets.

Anyone who’s expertly trained in diet and nutrition will help you discover what is best for your health. They won’t judge or give unsolicited advice unless it’s asked for. Most importantly, they know that no two people on Earth can survive on the same exact diet. Sure, someone you know just recently told you the diet they are on helped them lose weight and now they have more energy. But there’s no guarantee it’ll give you the same results.

Keep an eye out for anyone who engages in belittling or body shaming. It shows their lack of concern for you or your health. Or anyone else’s health for that matter. They might have their own agenda separate from you, especially folks that tend to harp others for something, like body weight. It’s none of their business. Do you ever feel bad about yourself after spending time with someone who acts this? If so, it’s a sign they aren’t the best person to take any advice from. In my experience, it’s difficult for people to realize that diets don’t work. No matter how much someone is trying to convince you.

Real scientific research will never claim to have all the answers

Human nutrition often has many gray areas. Simply because as humans, we’re not perfect. Getting accurate food histories is no easy task. Questionnaires require the use of short-term memory, while food diaries are difficult to maintain. In clinical trials, unexpected events can weaken the research results or make them invalid. People can drop out of the trial for various reasons which will also affect the final results. The researchers explain their objective observations during the trial and offer suggestions for future studies. Before a manuscript is published in a journal, it is peer reviewed before it gets accepted. Researchers are also required to disclose any conflict of interest as that may also affect the outcome.  

Any person or organization that claims to have the final answer to better health isn’t telling the full story. Any new evidence found in a single clinical trial, or an epidemiological study always needs further review. Studies using animals don’t apply to humans and need special consideration before humans can be involved. ALL scientific discoveries are subject to a review of peers to include a difference of opinion by other experts. More studies will be conducted to prove its validity.

So-called solutions are usually based around health conditions that have no cure or is something in nature we have no control over. For example, misinformation promotes the belief you can “lose all the weight and keep it off.” Some questions, I’d ask are how much weight can I expect to lose and for how long? What are the side effects?

Fearmongering gets ALL the attention

Most of us are instinctively drawn to drama and scary themes especially when it’s potentially harmful to our health. How do headlines like these make you feel?

“10 shocking high sugar foods”

“The dangers of sugar”

“The negative effects of sugar on your body”

Good quality balanced nutrition advice usually doesn’t make the news or go viral. It’s quite boring and doesn’t draw much attention. It usually never tells people what they want to hear because it requires responsibility of the individual. It’s not a quick fix.

The diet and exercise industry makes millions each year

January serves as one of the most obvious demonstrations of companies scrambling for profit. Weight loss by dieting and exercise advertisements are timed with the new year just after everyone is done celebrating the holidays by eating and drinking. The diet culture is real. From this dietitian’s standpoint, this culture of self-improvement is doing more harm than good. As a practitioner I believe everyone needs to know this. The diet and exercise industry renews itself every single year to repackage the same message in a different way to promote the idea we are not good enough. We need to fix our bodies. We won’t be happy unless we do so. The underlying theme, our self-worth is tied to our waistlines.

Who do you trust for nutrition advice?

A good place to start is with your general practitioner and a referral to a registered dietitian in your area. But if you insist on doing research nutrition online, become a skeptic by looking at objective opinions that are for and against whatever diet you’re reading about. Look for an agenda. Does it really promote public health?

Most of what you see on the internet are websites full of misinformation that try to persuade you to:

• Not trust public health and traditional medication backed by sound science
• Become unnecessarily fearful of specific foods; requiring you to cut out certain food groups without a proper diagnosis
• Make a choice without viewing peer-reviewed scientific studies
• Experience stigma, fat bias, and non-inclusion so you’ll by a product to feel included
• Believe you can control your weight or your body shape

With every decade of life, our nutrition needs change based on age and health. Food availability changes with the diet trends. Becoming more aware of these trends can help ease the worry about what goes on your plate. You’ll begin to realize that most of what you hear about diet and exercise in the media you can ignore. Life is too short to spend so much time picking apart every piece of food to look for what’s potentially unhealthy.

Close your eyes for a minute and imagine liberating your diet. For right now no foods are in any specific category. Picture how you can satisfy your hunger with the pleasure of eating within a neutral mindset. No guilt. No shame. How can you show your body compassion for what it needs?

DISCLAIMER: The Green Apple Dietitian blog provides nutrition information for education only and is not intended to offer medical advice or cure any health conditions. The content should NEVER be used as a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment of any health condition or problem. Any questions regarding your diet and health should be addressed to your specific healthcare providers. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of something you have read on this blog.

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