Who not to trust for nutrition advice

These are two of my favourite posts from one awesome blogger named Darya Pino over at Summer Tomato.

The first is "10 People You Can't Trust For Diet Advice" and the second is her follow-up to that "Who Can You Trust for Diet Advice".

In "10 People You Can't Trust for Diet Advice" Darya highlights some of the most common go-to's for diet advice (cardiologists, athletes, USDA, etc.), and why they may not be the most reliable source of information.

Of course, to categorize and say ALL personal trainers know nothing about nutrition and all dietitians know everything about nutrition is simply overgeneralizing and untrue. However, Darya does a good job of highlighting why some sources of nutrition info may have shortfalls in the quality of their advice.

In regards to her top 10 list, Darya says: "I am not suggesting that these people contribute nothing to our conversation about diet. However you should always be skeptical of who you take your advice from, particularly when it comes to your health."

Read the full list here.

In her follow-up post, "Who You Can Trust for Diet Advice", Darya answers the inevitable question that her previous post led people to ask. She says:

"As I alluded to before, it is extremely difficult to give a generic answer to this question because, frankly, there is no single group of people I can point to and say, “These people always do it right.” This is never true."

Furthermore, "Scientific experimentation and analysis is incredibly complex and requires decades of training. Therefore the general public needs the data translated into plain English and explained in simplified concepts. It is tempting to believe that anyone with the appropriate education and a knack for writing can provide this service, however the nuances of data interpretation make this very tricky business. It is frighteningly easy to spin ideas and make claims the data does not really support. This is even scarier when you think of health and how many lives are at stake".

I agree with Darya that there isn't one group of people we can point to and say "Here! These are the best group of people for nutrition advice". As a dietitian, I certainly wish I could point to my own colleagues and say we are the be all and end all of correct nutrition information at all times. Unfortunately, I have found there are too many registered dietitians (and even more nutritionists - who are unregulated and without as much training) who are not the best source of advice, for various reasons. Mainly, they have chosen to specialize in one particular area and, while holding expertise in that area, can lead to deficits in knowledge in other areas. Regardless, a good RD (registered dietitian) who keeps up on current literature is about the best source of nutrition advice you will find anywhere (admittedly, I'm biased). But if you can't afford an RD, Darya points out a few great books which are nutrition information goldmines.

Read the post here.

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