I have been debating about what to write my next blog about, but one thing keeps coming to mind.
Where do you get your nutrition information? Who can you trust?
It's no secret that the weight loss and diet industry in the US and many other areas of the world rakes in billions if not trillions of dollars each year. The freedom of information on the internet and TV allows anyone to advertise their ability to DROP 30lbs in A WEEK! or whatever their miraculous claim may be, and the advertiser may have never even stepped foot in a basic nutrition class. While some claims may seem obviously fabricated, there is that gray area. What if a DOCTOR recommends a diet pill or amazing diet plan? Does that suddenly make it legit? Here is a simple litmus test to follow when evaluating nutrition information to see if it is valid.
If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. This may seem like common sense, because it is common sense. Remember the last weight loss advertisement you saw on TV with miraculous "before" and "after" photos -- the ones where the person goes from frumpy and fat to ripped and lean like a professional body builder? Many companies hire formerly fit athletes who were recently injured or hospitalized and may have gained some weight due to being inactive. When they lose weight, their bodies will be able to get back to that extremely toned physique that the average couch potato is not going to be able to train their muscles to achieve no matter how hard they try. The ephedra diet supplement (also known as ephedrine or ma huang) was marketed for weight loss for years -- only to find out that, by the way, it can kill you -- but you can still easily find it sold on the internet and likely in several stores. Maintaining a healthy dose of skepticism when approaching any nutrition information is not only safer for you, it's just plain smart. Take the time to find unbiased research that backs up the information you're given. PubMed, Cochrane Reviews, and the National Institutes of Health are some good places to start.
What is the source of the nutrition information? A friendly, good looking doctor espouses the benefits of an extremely low carbohydrate diet. Coming from a doctor makes it sound legitimate and safe, right? What if I told you that doctor's degree is in journalism or marketing, and he's never taken a nutrition class in his life? This is a more common phenomenon than you might think. Gary Taubes, who hails himself as a self-proclaimed medical and nutrition guru, has Master's degrees in applied physics, aerospace engineering, and journalism. I don't know about you, but I certainly don't go around the country lecturing about physics -- I've never taken a physics course in my life and don't know the first thing about it, so how Mr. Taubes can presume to know anything about nutrition AND people believe him is beyond me. Jeffrey Smith, the man behind the "Institute for Responsible Technology", a leading proponent against genetically modified foods (GMOs), has a marketing degree -- absolutely no science background. Two doctors of biochemistry and food science made a website refuting every single claim in one of Smith's books, backed with research evidence. Yet Smith still tours the country and gets on TV as an expert on GMOs.
So where should you turn for nutrition information? Your neighborhood Registered Dietitian (RD) is a good source -- but again, maintain a healthy dose of skepticism. Even the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (formerly the American Dietetic Association) has corporate sponsors that include Coca Cola, Hershey's, PepsiCo, Mars Incorporated, General Mills, Kellogg's, Soyjoy, and the National Dairy Council. A Hershey bar and a 2-liter of Coke sure don't sound like good nutrition to me, and whatever they may say, I can't believe that corporate sponsorship like that is not going to make an organization at least a little biased. Not every RD specializes in weight loss therapy or nutrition for a particular disease, so again, do your homework. Find a resource you are comfortable and feel safe with, and keep asking questions.
Be on the lookout for biased research. The Corn Refiners Association puts out all of the ads about how great high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is. Not to be outdone, The Sugar Association puts out almost as much material about how fantastic cane sugar or beet sugar is. Research studies both parties site were funded by, guess who -- the Association that wants the result that says their product has some benefit over the other. While the HFCS debate is a topic for another blog post, the point is: find out who did the research quoted and how they were funded. Any legit research study must state any conflicts of interest for the authors, usually towards the end of the article.
In most cases, every popular diet or nutrition guru has a grain of truth somewhere behind what they're touting. Unfortunately, the rest of what they promote may be a lot of smoke and mirrors. But if you do a little research yourself and keep questioning what you're being told, you won't fall victim to the next potentially dangerous nutrition fad promoted by Joe Schmo with research paid for by the company that makes the product. It's your health and nutrition; take control of it.
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