The
answer of where or who to get good nutrition information from is not simple,
but I will give you a framework of guidelines to help you decipher if you are
getting the truth.
Guideline
#1 – Check Your Source
Look for proper
credentials (Ph.D, MS, RD, LD, LDN). If someone claims they are an expert
without proper credentials, be wary. A certification
in nutrition without a degree in nutrition means that individual spent minimal
hours compared to an academically trained individual. Chiropractors or nurses
teaching nutrition seems reasonable, but they are not experts and neither are M.Ds. Personal
trainers and Life Coaches are typically among the worst sources you want to get
your nutrition advice or plan from, although Americans seem to do so a lot. Be
careful of individuals who do not have a nutrition degree, who interpret
research. First of all, scientific literature has a language of its own and the
average person is not going to be able to understand or interpret most
nutrition studies. Look for the academic institution where the persons earned
their credentials; there are a lot of online degree programs these days, which
do not hold the reputations of brick and mortar colleges and universities.
Tufts University and Cornell have one of the most prestigious nutrition
programs in the country and of course there are others. If your source is an
organization, do not assume that if it is a government agency that you can rely
on the information to be true. If the information from a government entity is
raw data like the USDA National Nutrient Database or Oxygen Radical Absorbance
Capacity Values (ORAC) – then you are pretty safe with that data being
reliable. Otherwise, look to organizations that conduct research like the
American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) or independent watch dog
organizations like the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) for
more reliable and neutral advice and recommendations.
- Guideline #2 – Listen to the Language Used
If the
information being presented is sensationalized with words “like poison or
supernatural,” be wary. If it sounds like a panacea, be wary. If it sounds like
it’s a magic bullet that requires restriction, special foods, or a special
routine, be wary. If the information sounds “black or white” with no grey area,
be wary. Look for information that can present both sides of an issue or
provide an outcome or opinion that is passionate, but balanced at the same
time. There is a difference between presenting vague information and neutral
information, you want neutral.
- Guideline #3 – Always be Cautious
Be a super
sleuth! Do not take information to heart without taking time to look into it
more. If your intuition is making you wonder, that’s your Higher Self asking
you to check in with your resonance of truth, just as I did with the Stanford
scientist for the Atkins study.