Careful who you get your nutrition advice from…
Several parents, mostly moms, were waiting for our children to finish up their lessons and engaging in the usual chit-chat. This is a new class so we are not well acquainted and no one knows my (or any other persons) chosen profession. One of the moms proceeded to dispense grossly negligent as well just plain bizarre nutrition advice. Just a few tidbits I jotted down, “mayonnaise actually does not need to be refrigerated, you can leave it out all day because it is very acidic.” Another gem, “if someone is sick leave a cut onion in your house because it absorbs bacteria from the air.” As if this wasn’t bizarre enough, no one really questioned her, at least not openly. I was dumbstruck and just about to open my big mouth when the topic shifted away from food and nutrition. Thankfully.
It did get me thinking about where people get their nutrition messages. Media, healthcare professionals, peers… Who is qualified to give nutrition advice? Registered Dietitians are uniquely qualified to deliver the message of good health and nutrition. RDs have, at minimum, a Bachelors of Science degree followed by a supervised internship and are required to complete yearly continuing education. It isn’t that RDs “own” the message or that we can’t learn from others, but clearly we need to filter the messages.
