With so much
nutritional advice
floating around,
you need
to be a
savvy shopper! Here are some tips to help guide you when looking for information.
- Anything can be published, true or not, especially on the internet. Check out the credentials of the author before you buy into what is being promised.
- Anyone can call herself a "nutritionist." This is not a regulated term. Once again, check into credentials.
- To find qualified nutritional advice, look for an RD (registered dietitian) or someone with an advanced degree (PhD without an RD) in nutrition.
- Pay attention to practitioners who step out of their "arena of specialty" and give nutrition advice when they might not be qualified to do so.
- Have caution when a "nutritionist" immediately diagnoses you with 'Candida' or 'sugar problems' without physical testing.
- A practitioner who wants to sell you supplements in the office is sometimes okay and sometimes not. You should have the freedom to make the final decision on where you buy health items.
- Recommendations of diets that eliminate whole food groups or those which teach any philosophy that seems "off" to you.
- Lists of "good' and "bad" foods.
- Watch out for promotions based on anecdotal comments, rather than on real, and peer reviewed research. Opinions are great, but research reveals the truth!
- Be aware of recommendations that are given in order to sell a product.
- Recommendations that sound too good to be true probably are.
Ultimately, the choice is yours, but always remember "buyer beware"!
Rachael Martin, M.S., R.D. is the owner of Eating and Body Image Solutions, a nutritional therapy and consulting business. She also works as a freelance writer and speaker on nutritional topics. Her specialties include mental health nutrition, eating disorders, weight management, longevity nutrition and PCOS. She can be reached at 235.1568 or at ebis-rd@earthlink.net
© 2008 Good News Tucson™
