Comparing Nutrition Blogs and Websites

COMPARING NUTRITION WEBSITES

I have to confess that I have never been a diet fan. I personally believe that if you are buying fresh ingredients and using your stove for cooking them, then you are probably healthy. By not just using your microwave to heat a boxed dish, you are likely fine.

However, I know that there are infinite types of diets on Google, and they are easy to be found. The problem remains on the fact that for regular people, it is hard to understand whether a website is reliable or not.

Before I start pointing out the main differences between a reliable and a non-reliable nutrition website, I would like to mention “Abbey’s Kitchen Blog”. As a non-Canadian student, it is hard to understand the particularities that rule in the nutrition market in Canada. But I had some help from Abbey. Reading the article she posted “Bad Nutrition Advice, Red Flags and the Worst Nutrition Websites” helped me understand some facts.

The first thing that caught my attention was the credentials. Is the website or blog hosted by a Registered Dietitian (RD in Canada and RDN in the US) or not? So, next time I start reading any nutritional blog, I will check the credentials first.

The second tip is checking the information sources and researches. If is there a link that sends you to a reliable University or Research Institution, then it will be probably fine.

Searching on https://uwaterloo.ca/health-services/nutrition-services/right-stuff-reliable-nutrition-and-health-websites made clearer how to recognize trustful information, or good nutrition professional. I ended up selecting the “Dietitians of Canada” as my reliable source for nutrition advice. As a non-reliable source, I was between “Goop”, from Gwyneth Paltrow, or “Mercola”, from Dr Joseph Mercola. I have decided sticking with the doctor one because it was more challenging than debating about a nutrition website from an American actress.

When you go to both websites for the first time, check the “About” link. That was what I did! The main differences just popped up on my screen. “Dietitians of Canada” has a long history starting back in 1935. The whole website is based on regulated health professionals with RD credentials. The website is not selling any product or advertising any celebrity. They also offer a number of online courses for the public in general.

On the other hand, Dr Mercola’s website is a mess. He is an osteopathic physician and not a registered dietitian. Even though he writes all the references after his texts, once you click on them, you will notice that you have never heard about any of the institutions or journals cited. He also invented his own nutritional system opposing the one suggested by the U.S. Department of Agriculture by only saying “I strongly believe…” Sorry, I might be prejudiced. Still, he names everything using his own name: “Mercola Healthy Recipes”, “Mercola’s Food Pyramid”, “Mercola’s Nutrition Plan” and so on.