Looking in the wrong place can cause you to make unnecessary or harmful diet changes, give up foods you don't need to, and waste money on special supplements and products. How do you know what information you can trust, whether online, from friends, or in the news? Learn how to determine whether a source is credible, and get ideas for where to turn for accurate nutrition information. For more information and resources, go to shellynajjar.com

1. Can you trust it?
How to find credible and accurate
nutrition information
Shelly Najjar, MPH, RDN, CD
Registered Dietitian
Nutritionist

2. Most used…
TV, magazines, Internet

3. …even if not the most credible
People went to
the easiest source
even when they
knew it wasn’t the
most credible

4. Bad info can lead to…
Making unnecessary
or harmful changes
Giving up foods
you don’t need to
Buying supplements
and products that
waste your money

5. Can you trust me?
Registered Dietitian Nutritionist
with Master’s degree
Oversight and accreditation
Supervised practical training
National exam
Continuing education

6. Dietitians = Nutrition Experts
Extensive training and
education in sciences
Ability to create nutrition
diagnoses and treatments
for specific diseases
Translate nutritional
science into real world
recommendations

7. Today
What to consider Where to look

8. What to consider
Go deeper than surface
Look beyond flashy
website, slick appearance,
or speaking ability
Ask yourself questions

9. Does it make sense?
No work or time required
Secret, hidden, or little-known tricks
Magic formulas, ingredients, or products
Entire groups of foods eliminated
“Good” and “Bad” foods

10. Where did the info come from?
“Evidence-based” / Research
Do they have
credentials or oversight?
Look for an About page
Look for citations or references

11. Testimonials are not evidence!
Just because it’s said over and over doesn’t make it true
Get away from the nutrition gossip!

12. How old/new is this info?
Old doesn’t mean outdated,
and new doesn’t mean correct

13. Is it something where the age matters?
Guidelines around what
makes a fad diet are fairly constant…
…but recommendations about
butter have changed

14. What’s the context?
Having info without context is like
a “You are here” sign without a map
Context of the study
Context of the results

15. What’s the context? (Study)
How big was the study?
Was it done with animals or people?
Or neither? (cells, theory, etc)

16. Did the people in the study have
certain characteristics that prevent
generalizing results to all people?
What’s the context? (Study)

17. What’s the context? (Results)
How do the new results
compare with past
research studies?
New
research
Previous
research
In what
ways are
they
similar?
In what ways do they differ?

18. Does it matter?
How much is needed,
and for what
amount of benefit?
What’s the context? (Results)

19. Correlation is not Causation
When a study observes people but doesn’t
change anything, it can only tell us about
correlations or associations, not causation
Correlation: association
Two things happen together
Causation: forced action
One thing makes another happen

20. Causation or Correlation?
A study follows 200 adults and
finds that those who eat
breakfast weigh less

21. Causation or Correlation?
A study follows 200 adults and
finds that those who eat
breakfast weigh less
CORRELATION
We can’t tell if eating breakfast causes people to weigh
less or if people who weigh less happen to eat breakfast,
or whether something else is affecting results

22. Causation or Correlation?
A study with 200 adults controls their
food and exercise and finds those given
breakfast lost 12 lbs and those not given
breakfast stayed the same weight

23. Causation or Correlation?
A study with 200 adults controls their
food and exercise and finds those given
breakfast lost 12 lbs and those not given
breakfast stayed the same weight
POSSIBLE CAUSATION
Assuming all other factors were accounted for
(diseases and medications, starting weight,
movement, mood, sleep, etc)

24. Is it (or should it be) specific?
No adjustment for
each person
Specific advice for specific
diseases should include
review of your medical
situation and history

25. Where’s the money?
Is there financial gain?
• Sponsored information
• Buy a particular product
• Sponsored research studies
• Spokespeople

26. Where should you look?

27. Qualified health and nutrition
professionals and organizations
Academy of Nutrition
and Dietetics
EatRight.org
Not every nutritionist is
a dietitian, but every
dietitian is a nutritionist
Find a dietitian near you

28. American Medical
Association
patient’s page
AMA-assn.org
Click “Patients”
in top menu bar
Qualified health and nutrition
professionals and organizations

29. Government websites
Nutrition.gov
Information and links
to other credible
nutrition sites

30. ChooseMyPlate.gov
Many customizable
options and tools
Government websites

31. Centers for
Disease Control and
Prevention
CDC.gov
Health information
and links to
resources
Government websites

32. American Diabetes
Association
diabetes.org
Health organizations

33. American Heart
Association
heart.org
Health organizations

34. Consumer health information sites
Healthline
healthline.com
Information is
reviewed by medical
reviewers including
doctors, dietitians,
nurses, pharmacists

35. WebMD
webmd.com
Information is
reviewed by doctors
and health experts
including dietitians
Consumer health information sites

36. Natural Medicines
naturalmedicines.com
Scientific studies are
systematically reviewed
by doctors, pharmacists,
and nurses to give a rating
on effectiveness of
treatments
Consumer health information sites

37. Hospitals
Cleveland Clinic
clevelandclinic.org
Click on “Health
Information” in top
menu bar

38. Mayo Clinic
mayoclinic.org
Click on “Patient
Care & Health Info”
in top menu bar
Hospitals

39. What to look for
Professional Background
Training and Experience
Use of research
Affiliations or partnerships
Warning signs: scare tactics,
catchy bait-and-switch language

40. Contact
shellynajjar.com
Shelly Najjar, MPH, RDN
Registered Dietitian Nutritionist
info@shellynajjar.com
@ShellyNajjar
Learn more about
nutrition and
health at
shellynajjar.com