Published: 1/21/19 | Revised: 7/11/19
Throughout my time as an undergraduate (studying nutrition & exercise science)…I learned 1 valuable lesson worth sharing.
Do not believe everything you read or hear….even if it comes from an expert (whether it be a professor, doctor, dietitian) – I don’t care the title. Also, I don’t care if it comes from an academic journal either!
Everyone has an agenda and it’s important to know/understand the agenda. So, it is crucial to question & get answers from sources – not just one 1 source.
It takes time to learn what someone or something is about.
I recall my time completing nutrition & exercise science courses. At this point, I was already active as a personal trainer. Therefore, I wasn’t inexperienced, and I knew what was effective. I was receptive but not a simpleton. I was reading academic textbooks and studies (current literature). At the time, I was in a state of shock and disbelief at some of the dietary protocols put in place to manage/treat weight & diabetes (aka, medical nutrition therapy (MNT)).
Anyone who completes nutrition biochemistry will find some therapies (under MNT) to be counterproductive – to even call it a therapy is a travesty!
One claim that I hear still today: “A calorie is a calorie – moderation with everything.”
This claim sounds nice and some people can relate to it. However, the majority do not look pass the basic concept of this claim. What we eat (and how it works internally isn’t as simple as…a calorie is a calorie). There’s biochemistry and hormones that determine how things really work. Additionally, what we call: food / beverages - it can be engineered in such a way, and therefore, the term moderation may not apply to everyone.
So, in dietetics, the foundation is built on that fallacy. So, meal plans are designed based on that premise. During that time in college: it was frowned upon to even question. However, I continued to question to gain a certain level of transparency.
The counter response: “I’m an expert. We are evidence based.”
However, it does not take an expert to point-out inaccuracies and/or inconsistencies.
So, I made sure to pull from biochemistry/physiology and other evidence-based-sources. Strategically, I would collect such data – even from their own data base to provide a rebuttal.
It was epic – a question I proposed: “You ask for my evidence. Where’s your evidence? Data from the CDC shows a staggering increase in obesity & metabolic disease. Or…what about in your own practice of 20+ years – were you able to successfully replicate similar results from certain studies (that you claim) help improve overall wellness (quality of life)? If that’s the case…can you publish some of your results and/or findings?”
****Smoke and mirrors….Smoke and mirrors....Smoke and mirrors....Smoke and mirrors****
If you do not understand…I’ll delineate.
1. As an undergrad…part of our education is to look up research articles.
2. WARNING: studies that focus on food & nutrition / supplementation / herbs / drugs / even exercise can be tricky – sometimes, even years later, for various reasons, we find a study maybe inaccurate.
3. Certain factors play into the complexity.
What’s the unfortunate part? We don’t look at our own results to see if it’s effective – the way we measure and define certain things can be misleading.
In the real world, some clinicians / dietitians try to mimic a controlled study that is just wrong on so many fronts to begin with - in the end, we must consider the outcome.
There is a elephant in the room – someone must say something.
“When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace.”
The industry is in control and has power to influence certain things (that includes outcomes in certain studies) – furthermore, there’s a financial & political thread that has been woven into the fabric of society – certain things have become a norm and questioning (who we call authority isss…a no-no).
Some licensed-healthcare-individuals fall under the category of: ignorant and just don’t know…what they do not know. Or…some are nothing more than a prostitute to whatever industry (a mass-marketed, obedient-shill…just to get a pay check).
