People decide what, when and how much to eat in various ways. Information about diet and nutrition comes from many sources, including ethnicity, friends, family, the media, schools, nutrition professionals, doctors, the food industry, retail marketers, nutrition labels and the government. People are bombarded with messages daily through TV, news outlets, friends and the Internet. Some of the information is reliable, some is questionable and some may be fraudulent.
History
The American Heart Association published guidelines in 1957, 1961 and 1968, and dietary goals for the United States were published by the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs in 1977, according to David Kritchevsky in the February 1998 issue of the Journal of Nutrition.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, jointly with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, published the Dietary Guidelines for Americans every five years beginning in 1980. Researchers in the United States and Canada began publishing the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI) in 1997.
Government Sources
Governmental agencies, including the USDA, FDA and CDC, provide scientifically researched dietary information to the public. The DRIs include nutrient intake values for planning and assessing diets, including estimated average requirements, recommended daily allowances, adequate intakes and tolerable upper intake levels. The food guide pyramid, MyPyramid, provides individualized eating plans and tools to plan and assess food choices based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
Other Sources
Professional and credible organizations that advocate healthy diets and provide reliable nutrition information include the American Dietetic Association, American Diabetes Association, American Heart Association, American Cancer Society and American Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, among others.
Nutrition is a hot topic, and exposure to nutrition-related information is everywhere in the news. Volunteer associations, consumer groups, retail marketers, friends, family and the media provide nutrition information and testimonials. Offered information may consist of mere sound bites about miracle cures or may provide studied and reliable evidence-based research. Consider the source and cautiously evaluate health claims.
Identifying Nutrition Experts
Consumers need to know if the person providing information has qualifications to speak as an authority on nutrition. Physicians who specialize in clinical nutrition are well qualified. But few physicians have the time or expertise to develop diet plans and provide detailed nutrition information. So physicians often refer clients to a registered dietitian (RD), a credential that signifies a recognized nutrition expert with the extensive formal education, training and experience to deliver reliable nutrition counseling and expert advice.
A dietetic technician, registered (DTR) is qualified to work under the direction of an RD. Public health dietitians and other dietary employees have various levels of training. Some states allow anyone to use the title "dietitian" or "nutritionist"; other states only recognize the RD qualification as a dietitian and require a license to practice. Scientific researchers often collaborate with an accredited university. Ask for and verify credentials.
Identifying Valid Information
To be included in the body of nutrition knowledge, findings must stand up to rigorous testing and verification by different unbiased researchers. Researchers communicate findings in context without oversimplifying, distorting or sensationalizing results. Valid research articles, rigorously reviewed by other researchers and published in scientific journals, include an abstract, introduction, review of literature, methodology, results, conclusions and a list of references to other relevant research studies. This provides supporting evidence and allows other researchers to verify or refute the conclusions.
Identifying Misinformation
Consumers should question possibly misleading and unfounded claims that rely on only testimonials with no research results, make exorbitant statements, offer quick and easy fixes such as "lose weight fast with no exercise or diet changes" or claim to cure a variety of unrelated conditions such as gout, diabetes and ulcers with no supporting evidence and no mention of safety or side effects.
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