Nutrition Bites - Health Trends

Let's talk about health trends...there's so much nutrition information out there, with so many conflicting messages! One day coffee is good, the next it's not. Right now, people are piling on the fat, but not too long ago there was a fat-free frenzy. With all this, it can be easy to get confused and lose trust. The truth is nutrition science is messy. Because we're all a little different, it is very difficult to make generalized "good" and "bad" statements that apply to everyone. What is helpful for someone, might be harmful for someone else. A great example of this is including nuts in your diet. Great for someone who is trying to incorporate healthy fats, not so great for someone with a nut allergy.  Also, because humans are so complex it is difficult to prove causation: saying that changing x, causes y to happen. Nutrition science is great and necessary to further our understanding of the role food plays in health, but often times initial studies that are very specific are interpreted as fact for a large group of people while this might not be the case. So if you see a flashy headline about a new health claim, take a moment before you start that new juice cleanse or cut out a food group and ask yourself the following:

• Does it sound too good to be true? 
• Is it a sustainable change?
• Does it make sense long term for my life?
• Is it selling a product?

Below is a link to a clip from the host of Last Week Tonight on "Scientific Studies." It's a little less than 20 minutes long, but it worth the watch. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Rnq1NpHdmw