There’s a lot of information out there about how to eat well and an equal amount of confusion! Trying to choose the facts from the fiction can be a real minefield. There are a lot of people out to sell you a product, a diet or an idea. So how do we know what to take on board and what to ignore? One place to start is the Australian Government’s dietary guidelines.

Have a look here for more information.

When coming across nutrition information ask these important questions:

• Who is the author or spokesperson and what are their credentials?
• Is someone trying to sell you something? If so, beware.
• Is the information backed up by more than one scientific study?
• Is the information current?
• Does it promote a quick fix?
• Does it sound too good to be true? If so, it probably is!
• Does it promote or warn about a single product, food, or program?
• Does it call certain foods “bad” or “good”?

When in doubt it is always best to seek advice, help and information from professionals, nutritionists and dietitians. The online paper, The Conversation, gives this good tip: “…unless there’s a demonstrated public health benefit, or a diagnosis by an appropriate professional, it’s best to ignore the latest nutritionism fad and follow this simple but elegant recommendation by Michael Pollan:

‘Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.’”

Information sourced with permission from CXA003 Foundations of Active Living unit, School of Health Science, University of Tasmania