By Chelsea Takei– Student University of Hawai’i at Mānoa
WYAO Hawaii collaborates with the community through one of UH Manoa’s Nutrition classes, Community Nutrition and Nutrition Education, instructed by Jinan Banna, PhD, RD, CDN to help students translate nutrition science into terms the general public can understand using blogging as their tool. A How-To Nutrition misinformation can include food fads, trendy diets, health fraud and misleading health claims.
With the constant flow of new diets, products, and trends sending mixed messages about nutrition that contradict each other, how can we tell what is fact? Here are some helpful tips to use while navigating your way through nutrition information.
1. If you hear a claim that sounds too good to be true, likely that it is. It takes time to discover what works best for your body and see results!
2. “Eat this and you’ll die!” Probably not. Be suspicious about dire warnings and claims of danger from a single product.
3. If you are reading a post about a product with no scientific evidence, research, or any support from an official resource – red flag!
4. When reading about nutrition, it’s important to look at who is doing the study, who is funding it, how many studies were done, and what they’re promoting.
5. Don’t buy it just because the Kardashians said so! Verbal testimony is not real evidence.
6. Approach lists labeling which foods are “bad” for you and which are “good” with extreme caution. It’s important to find out who made these lists and why.
Remember, you have the right to evaluate! Ask questions. Don’t buy immediately. Take your time to think it over. Consult your physician or local health department. Call up the FDA or Better Business Bureau. A legitimate product will stand up to your evaluation!
Resources:
Bellows, L., & Moore, R. (2013, September). Nutrition misinformation: How to identify fraud and … Colorado State University Extension. Retrieved March 25, 2022, from https://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/nutrition-food-safety-health/nutrition-misinformation-how-to-identify-fraud-and-misleading-claims-9-350/
Fraud and nutrition misinformation. U.S. Department of Agriculture. (n.d.). Retrieved March 24, 2022, from https://www.nal.usda.gov/legacy/fnic/fraud-and-nutrition-misinformation
Hermann, J. R. (2017, July). Nutrition Misinformation. Oklahoma State University . Retrieved April 20, 2022, from https://shareok.org/bitstream/handle/11244/334878
Krishna, A., & Thompson, T. L. (2019).
Misinformation about health: A review of health communication and misinformation scholarship. American Behavioral Scientist, 65(2), 316–332. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002764219878223
Position of the American Dietetic Association: Food and Nutrition Misinformation. (2006). Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 106(4), 601–607. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jada.2006.02.019
Rowe, S., & Alexander, N. (2022). Fighting nutrition and health misinformation. Nutrition Today, 57(1), 34–37. https://doi.org/10.1097/nt.0000000000000521
Connect with WYAO Hawaii-TerriDietz to find out how we can support a Culture of wellbeing, health, and happiness in your office today! Call 808-772-8222 or email Terri directly, Terri@wyaohawaii.com