The Biggest Threat to the Health Industry

In 2007, a new diet craze that started online took the nation by storm and positioned itself as the final solution to stubborn fat loss. The plan was low in carbohydrates, high in protein, and avoided fruit, nuts, and most dairy. On the surface, it wasn’t much different than other diets. And when Women’s World magazine boldly claimed “Better than Gastric Bypass,” the foundation had been set for the general public to take this new eating style for a ride—and crash. 

Known as the Kimkins Diet, the program was one of the most dangerous plans ever shared—a starvation diet that endorsed the use of laxatives. The Kimkins Diet was created by Heidi Diaz, an obese woman who despite the absence of any credentials still turned her fake diet into a million dollar business. 

Eventually, the public clamped down on the Kimkins calamity, but not before many suffered from health complications and even more wondered how a charlatan could fool so many.  

While this wasn’t the first diet scam to run rampant, it was one of the bigger deceptions caused by a faux expert. More importantly, it was a microcosm of the biggest danger in the healthy industry: The overwhelming amount of misinformation. 

As the internet continues to publish limitless amounts of content each day, separating the truth from the trash is becoming more difficult. In fact, it’s one of the challenges of my job. We're constantly reviewing our content to make sure it’s updated, accurate, and representative of the most recent findings in health, fitness, and nutrition. It’s a never-ending process that we undertake to make sure that you can trust the information you find on this site.

But you should feel empowered that you can make the right choices. That’s why we went out to our trusted experts at LIVESTRONG.COM—those with years of experience, educational background, and continual results—to create a foolproof plan that will help protect you from bad information and seedy experts.

It’s time to put you in the driver’s seat of identifying credible health information. Use these 9 guidelines—for in-person meetings and the content you find online—as a way to determine the best plan for your body.  

“The first thing I would recommend is to ask the expert to justify everything they recommend for you to do,” says Eric Cressey, M.A, C.S.C.S, owner of Cressey Performance. The expert should always have a clear, logical explanation for “what, why, and how” and be able to explain in a way that anyone can understand. You'd be amazed by how many “experts” have no idea why they do what they do.

 

Experts are teachers. And if they can’t share the lesson—whether in person or on a website—then their class isn’t worth taking and won’t help you reach your goals.

Here’s something most people never ask: How do the experts acquire their clients and prestige? Is it referrals from satisfied current clients, or are they simply handed these individuals by a gym? The best experts almost always emerge from pure word-of-mouth from real people who are seeing real results, says Cressey.

The fitness industry is a crowded place, and it's hard to tell the good folks from the bad. There are some legitimate experts out there, but separating the sharks and charlatans from those who really want to help you isn't easy if you don't know what to look for, says John Romaniello, C.P.T, and owner of Roman Fitness Systems.

Simple things like a nice website or an active Facebook page indicate money and time invested, respectively, but don't offer a real indication of whether the person has expertise. Even the letters behind someone's name, while a good start, isn't enough to see the full picture; after all, getting certified says more about your ability to pass a test than it does about your ability to work with clients.

If an expert has been repeatedly published in a respectable and established outlet, this can be a simple litmus test to support their legitimacy. While the Kimkins Diet proved there are flaws to this approach, certain brands have checks and balances to ensure that bad information doesn’t spread to the masses. After all, unlike blogs or information products, which people can create themselves, getting your name into a magazine or book from a respected brand requires something specific: The approval of an editor at the least, and a board at the most, says Romaniello. 

Trusted brands are staffed with editors whose specific jobs is to vet the experts and turn others away. These publications aren't going to risk their reputations on someone who hasn't proven their knowledge; so the "testing" process to get published can be pretty rigorous for authors.  

It’s not a perfect process, but a good barometer is being published repeatedly. That means several editors and gatekeepers in the industry are looking for holes in the information and still deeming it credible and effective for your life. 

If you’re working one-on-one with an expert, everything that is done should be specific to your situation. And yet, many diet and fitness coaches oftentimes provide a cookie-cutter program that doesn’t consider your limitations, weaknesses, or past struggles, says Jim Smith, C.S.C.S., owner of Diesel Strength and Conditioning. Anyone can hunt down a workout program or an eating strategy. The people who can help you see results are the ones who design a plan that specifically addresses your dysfunctions and obstacles and finds a way to help you succeed. 

Any fitness or nutrition professional that tries to “help” someone without first taking them through a proper assessment has failed before they even began, says Tony Gentilcore, C.S.C.S, C.P.T, co-founder of Cressey Performance. Think of it this way:  What would you think of a physician who didn't take the time to better understand your background and unique history?  You'd probably never give them your business. A trip to the nutritionist or trainer is no different than a visit to your doctor—and just as important for your health. Anyone who doesn’t require an assessment is simply wasting your time and can’t possibly create the best program for you, says Gentilcore. 

 

If you’re an employer hiring for a position, you almost always require references. Your approach to online content should be no different. A good looking site could be an indication of credibility, but all it really means is that the person invested money in their product. Instead of trusting anything on face value, you should do your homework, suggests Craig Ballantyne, C.S.C.S, creator of Turbulence Training. Start by searching on places link LinkedIn and looking at references. Google them. Look at their videos on YouTube. Don’t put your health in the hands of someone based on one resource. Do your homework and be convinced that their information can actually help. 

A background and education are important for the development of expertise. That being said, a degree—and in particular advanced degree—tells you a person knows information. But that is only the foundation. The people you trust need to be able to apply the facts to real life situations and prove their success over and over again, says Martin Rooney, C.S.C.S, P.T, founder of Training For Warriors.  

The 10,000 hour rule or 10 years in the trenches, discussed in the book Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell, is really accurate and I think a good thing to use to determine if someone is an expert, adds Rachel Cosgrove, C.S.C.S., co-founder of Results Fitness.

You know that success stories can help prove legitimacy, but there’s also the test of time. Real experts earn their stripes and can prove it with years of experience and consistency throughout. Only using the 10,000-hour rule doesn't work in fitness because things are changing so quickly that experts need to use the most current information and research in their practice, adds Cosgrove. They must still be in the trenches, still doing it. Someone doesn’t have to be “older” to be good at their job, but there’s something to be said for an expert who can repeatedly adapt to the situation and continually help people become better. 

ASK FOR VISUAL PROOF  

Trainers and nutritionists exist for one reason: To help you achieve results. That’s their calling card and the greatest indication of their legitimacy and expertise. If they have success, then they should have proof—usually in the form of before and after pictures, says Romaniello. But don’t settle for a few Polaroid’s—ask for a lot. “No matter what field you are in, you should have visible results,” says Cosgrove. 

“While on some level it’s important to “look” the part, I'm by far more concerned with a trainer’s ability to get results for his clients than whether he has abs,” says Romaniello. There are a lot of piss-poor trainers who are in great shape; by the same token, some of the greatest minds in this industry looked more like math teachers than fitness models.