Many of you may struggle to make sense of the nutrition advice you read online and wanted nutrition facts you could trust. Let’s face it. Not everything we read online is true. And while many of us know that, it’s still easy to be taken in by popular ideas we see online or hear from friends. How can we really separate food fact from fiction?
Misinformation affects many of my clients.
Should I avoid gluten?
Should I exclude dairy?
Should I choose a low fat or high protein diet?
Should I eat low carbohydrate or low Glycemic Index?
Should I detox or do a cleansing diet?
Should I cook with butter or coconut oil?
There are different opinions about what and how we should eat everyday, but there is a way to spot your problem and seek reliable facts to solve it.
PROBLEM
There is so much nutrition information online and you are not sure how to tell if something is a fad! You don’t know what to believe.
THE FACT
You learn that some websites are more reliable than others. You were reading a popular websites and absorbing information, but not all of it was true. You need to be more critical and ask yourself these questions when you’re reading a website:
- Is the website promising a quick fix or a miracle cure?
- Do I have reasons to mistrust the person, organization or company that runs the website?
- Are they trying to sell me something instead of educating me?
- Are the website writers unqualified to be giving me nutrition information?
- Do they have facts that sound too good to be true?
- Does the information come from personal opinions rather than scientific evidence?
- Is the content missing reviews or verification by medical experts?
- Are the website claims based on a single study that may draw the wrong conclusion?
Now knows that if you answers “yes” to most of these questions, the website may not be reliable.
SEEK SUPPORT
You may now learn that you should not trust everyone who has an opinion about food and nutrition. Instead, you will look for sites that aren’t trying to sell you something and that rely on science rather than opinions. You will check the credentials of the writers, and looks for sites written by regulated health professionals whose work is reviewed by other experts. Find a dietitian at Malaysia Dietitians’ Association
Do you sometimes feel like you are drowning in misinformation too? Contact Me about starting a nutritional counselling program.
Adapted from the Dietitians of Canada’s Nutrition Month campaign materials.
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