Common Nutrition Misinformation and Misconceptions!?!

There’s a lot of nutrition information out there and some of it is junk in the form of misinformation and misconceptions. Here’s how to sift through it and stress less about eating and shopping.

Nutrition Misinformation (1-5)

In general there are three categories of nutrition misinformation:

  • Food and diet fads

  • Health fraud

  • Misdirected claims

Food and diet fads typically focus on short term changes, omit foods or nutrients, and are associated with weight loss or preventing or curing diseases. This may sound relatively benign, but it can be very dangerous to those with chronic illnesses such as diabetes and/or renal disease, etc.

Health fraud is intentionally misleading and also possibly very dangerous. Typically there is no scientific basis to back up the claim. Words often associated with health fraud include, “fast,” “quick, “instant”, or “miracle”.

Misdirected claims lead consumers to think food is healthier than it actually is, for instance, a food product with a low amount of carbohydrates or fat, but high in added sugars (1-5). Or what I am seeing recently, is prepackaged foods like cookies or crackers being labeled as plant-based. It’s true that it’s ingredients may be plant-based, but there’s no standardized definition of plant-based—more to come on this topic in another blog post.

What to Look for When Researching Your Nutrition Questions (1,2)

Reliable Resources

  • websites that end in .edu, .org, or .gov are typically the safest

  • eatright.org (if it were up to me, this site would be renamed, but it does offer reliable info)

  • qualified authors with a background in nutrition or related field

  • current cited sources (within past 5 years depending on the claim)

  • registered dietitian/registered dietitian nutritionist (RD/RDN) - regulated and protected term

Red Flags

  • quick fixes

  • too good to be true

  • lists of good vs bad foods

  • single study cited

  • oversimplified findings

  • non science based testimonials

  • unlicensed professionals

Food Marketing Misconceptions (6)

During my time working in hospitals and a dialysis center, I often found that patients (and in general many people!) are confused about these terms and become so anxious about what to buy especially when they are also worried about their chronic illness and meeting their nutrition needs and goals. Hopefully the list below can clarify some common food marketing misconceptions we see everyday.

Natural - no formal definition, but typically used on foods that don’t contain additives or added colors.

Whole - no formal definition, but typically thought of as no processed or refined and do not have added ingredients. Or minimal processing and closest to its original form.

Processed vs unprocessed - processed typically misunderstood and equated to be “bad”, but in reality means food went through a change of character such as raw nuts vs roasted nuts.

Local - no a definitive distance range. However some services define their range like Local Roots in NYC works with farms within 2 hours of NYC.

Organic - specific and legal meaning by the USDA*

  • Meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy are from animals that are not given antibiotics or growth hormones.

  • Plant foods are produced without using most conventional pesticides, fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge, bioengineering or ionizing radiation.

  • Farms are inspected by a government approved certifier

  • “100% organic” is a food item with 100% organic ingredients

  • “Organic” is a food item with at least 95% organic ingredients

  • “Made with Organic Ingredients” is a food item with at least 70% of organic ingredients

*DSNutrition does not endorse organic products over conventional products. This information is not to scare anyone, but to provide information and for readers to do their own research and ask questions. Words like synthetic or bioengineering can be overwhelming to hear and cause an all-or-nothing reaction, but that is not the intention of this blog post. Also, it’s important to mention that there are farms that may farm using organic practices but it is complicated and can be risky to transition from traditional farming to organic farming and the transition is expensive (7).

Okay okay…Shopping for food makes me crazy and now I have this information. So now what?

First, figure out what is important to you.

  • Are you interested in general healthy eating?

  • Have you been diagnosed with a condition where nutrition alterations have been found to be helpful?

  • Are you trying to live a more sustainable lifestyle?

  • Are you interested in learning more about animal products and how the animals are treated?

Second, focus on one or two of your interests — When you head to the store or online to purchase food, really take a look at the front and back of the package, nutrition facts label, and ingredient list. Ask yourself, does this [food marketing label] really matter to me or am I focused on the amount of carbohydrates and protein because I am trying to balance my blood sugars — for example. Or another example, does this [food marketing label] really matter to be or am I focused on looking for phosphate additives in the ingredient list because my dialysis lab results came back this month showing high phosphorus. You get the idea.

After a while you will find your groove and marketing buzzwords will bounce off you. You will be able to find what you are looking for without the extra buzzwords swirling around you interfering with your decision making.

One last thing…

Nutrition is complex, confusing, nuanced and always evolving. Your choices depend on many things; your values, goals, and current situation. Seek out qualified professionals to be properly evaluated and who take into account your physical, mental and social well being as well as personalize your recommendations. I hope you continue to ask questions and remain curious. Contact DSNutrition to schedule an appointment with me, NYC-based registered dietitian nutritionist.

References

1. Bellows, L., Moore, R. “Nutrition Misinformation: How to Identify Fraud and Misleading Claims.” Colorado State University Extension, Nov. 2013. https://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/nutrition-food-safety-health/nutrition-misinformation-how-to-identify-fraud-and-misleading-claims-9-350/#top . Accessed 4 April 2020.

2. Office of Regulatory Affairs. “Health Fraud Scams.” U.S. Food and Drug Administration, FDA, www.fda.gov/consumers/health-fraud-scams . Accessed 4 April 2020.

3. “Paleo: Spotlight on the Paleo Diet - Today's Dietitian Magazine.” Today's Dietitian, Feb. 2018, www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/0218p14.shtml . Accessed 4 April 2020.

4. Gordon, Barbara. “What Is the Ketogenic Diet.” EatRight, May 2019, www.eatright.org/health/weight-loss/fad-diets/what-is-the-ketogenic-diet . Accessed 4 April 2020.

5. Palmer, S. “Nutrients of Concern for Individuals Following a Plant-based Diet.” Today's Dietitian, June 2014, www.todaysdietitian.com/pdf/courses/PBDNutritentsofConcern.pdf. Accessed 4 April 2020.

6. Klemm, Sarah. “Understanding Food Marketing Terms.” EatRight, July 2019, www.eatright.org/food/nutrition/nutrition-facts-and-food-labels/understanding-food-marketing-terms . Accessed 4 April 2020.

7. Cernansky, Rachel. “We don’t have enough organic farms. Why not?” National Geographic, November 20, 2018, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/organic-farming-crops-consumers . Accessed 4 April 2020.

DanielleDSNutrition PLLCDiet Fads, Health FraudComment