Nutrition | Science | Critical Thinking
Critical Thinking for Foodies
In the influencer age, nutrition quacks are frequently competing for our attention. Here are some ways to help spot them you may not have considered.
In the influencer age, more nutrition quacks than ever are competing for our attention. The result? A mass of nutrition misinformation! Our time is precious and nobody wants to be distracted with BS, or worse, learn something that leads to unhelpful actions.
So, here are three ways to spot quacks online that you may not have considered.
1. The author advocates one diet to rule them all.
As a research dietitian, my clients and patients often ask, “what is the best diet to adopt?” A surprise to many is that I am not an advocate of any specific diet for general health improvement. The fact is there are various dietary approaches, all with their risks and benefits. Even in most disease contexts such as type 2 diabetes, different nutritional plans can be helpful (or unhelpful) in different ways. Those that hail a single diet approach are inadvertently expressing their tunnel vision, and with confirmation bias driving them forward, they delve deeper and deeper.
2. The author claims a conspiracy.
The initial lore of a conspiracy theory excites me. I feel a sense of mystery and drama, it’s seductive. It appeals to our human tribal nature and instinct to shape our world view with prominent stories. Steven Novella teaches us about our deceptive mind and how it can trick us into believing things we shouldn’t. He’s a major advocate of critical thinking skills, essential skills that have helped me on my scientific and life journey.
Despite their lure, conspiracy theories do not belong in the science narrative. Please hear me out for a moment.
A huge part of science is understanding bias, which is an entirely natural human phenomenon. Anyone who tells you they are giving you their complete unbiased view is full of BS, sorry.
Bias is when we let our opinions influence our judgment — this is impossible to avoid as our opinions shape our world view. Luckily, the scientific process makes a rigorous effort to identify and control for bias — and its consequences.
One example of many is the requirement for a ‘conflict of interest statement’ which is something all authors of a scientific article must sign. Its purpose is bias control, or to be precise, bias transparency — remember, we are all biased somehow. The statement enables the reader to review the author’s conflicts, something a reader should keep in mind when considering how an author has discussed their results.
An example of a conflict would be if an author had published a book advocating a single dietary approach, and their scientific article had results that favored that diet over another. Essentially, the research study helps to promote their book — that is, a financial conflict of interest.
Failing to declare a conflict, such as a diet book, should not be mistaken for conspiracy. Nevertheless, such an omission is negligent, and if discovered, would discredit the scientific competency of the author.
Authors using conspiracy theories in tribal diet circles only serve to discredit themselves.
Many diets have good supporting evidence, so the scientific method is good enough to do the talking. The nutrition scientist or a ‘real’ expert understands this, and that will become clear in their writing, which will have no mention of a conspiracy. So, the next time you hear about a diet conspiracy, listen to your inner skeptic.
3. The author is an egotistical self-professed expert.
Nutrition is one of those subjects that almost everyone feels qualified to advise on, the reason why there is a vast proportion of misinformation. We all eat so we all get to talk about food and what we like. Of course, food is ubiquitous and meaningful. It can mean family, culture, be disgusting, be tasty, and for many, comforting.
Well, nutrition is not just about food. It can be for treating, preventing, or contributing to the development of disease. Dietary intervention is one of the many risk-benefit health interventions that requires caution.
Nutrition can be complicated, and health can be complicated, bring them together, and well, you get the idea.
So, if someone has a diet-related condition, should they put their trust in a person with no training in nutrition and health? The next time a friend has a problem with their car, should we recommend they visit a plumber? The provocative thought experiment aside, identifying an expert can be challenging.
Trust your instinct to assess their credentials; it’s the perfect start. If you suspect an egotistical self-professed nutrition “expert,” you might roll your eyes with skepticism and avert your attention elsewhere. Now you can put your valuable time to better use. Good for you.
There is no defined line as to when someone is really an expert, and I cringe at being called one. I like to think it’s because I have a certain degree of humility, but it’s probably more so that I’ve lacked self-esteem since my younger years.
People say I should take pride in the journey that’s led me here. They are probably right.
I have presented to hundreds of people at international conferences. I’ve completed a master’s degree in nutrition and dietetics, and maintained my dietitian state registration for nearly 12 years. I’ve defended my doctoral thesis and published in international peer review journals. I’ve directly helped thousands of clients and managed a talented obesity healthcare team in the UK National Health Service.
I suppose I’ve done a few things and maybe, that justifies the term expert?
