It is okay to ignore what you are told
Diets are among the most discussed entities on the internet. By “discussed” I of course mean “argued about”, because alongside the science comes conjecture and deeply entrenched misinformation. Maybe it’s because diets are a lucrative market (diet books fly off shelves and they’re a good way for a doctor or nutritionist to make a name for themselves) or maybe it’s because every human on the planet has to eat, but diets and discussion of diets are very much in fashion and probably always will be.
As soon as we progressed from eating to survive to eating for enjoyment, we were bound to run into some difficulties. Namely overindulgence. We’ve been able to process food, cultivate crops and invent some culinary travesties for reasons which are so far removed from nutritional necessity that they’ve become real problems for the species.
Obesity is a “ticking time bomb”, diabetes threatens the healthcare budgets of entire countries, and parents are constantly wringing their hands about the fast food adverts their children see. We’re told to eat less fat, or that maybe we should eat more fat for breakfast. It’s incredibly important to eat enough protein – but is it red meat that causes bowel cancer? Everybody knows that cream, pastry and chocolate make you fat, but how can that skinny girl graze on éclairs every day without consequence, yet when she eats rice and pasta she piles on the pounds?
It’s incredibly important to take everything you hear with a generous pinch of (low sodium) salt. Just because something is true of one person doesn’t mean that it’ll be true for you. You know your body better than anybody on the internet, so there’s no point in making your life unpleasant or even poisoning yourself just because you found an article on the internet which says that a shot of Tabasco for breakfast will make you metabolise your lunch more efficiently.
Although the internet is inherently unreliable when it comes to facts, it’s also a great place to learn all about nutrition. Yes, despite what we’ve said about ignoring large chunks of it, we have a lot of time for the various parts of the World Wide Web which are actually of enormous use if you want to explore the science behind what you eat. With that in mind, we’ve drawn up a quick list of things to look out for when you’re reading up on diets.
1. You can probably ignore any website that’s trying to sell you something. It’s not exactly going to give you an unbiased overview of the facts, is it? No, it’s going to peddle whatever book or diet plan available for a short time only for just $19.99.
2. You can also ignore anything that has an obvious agenda. I’m talking about animal liberation websites espousing the notion that meat is toxic, or the potato marketing board trying to persuade you that fries mitigate the fattening aspect of your hamburger.
3. Look before you leap. Research thoroughly before you try to embark on any sort of dietary change, because it might affect other parts of your life or existing health conditions. If you have a health problem, ask your doctor before you take up a diet of any sort. It could make you ill, or it could have side effects like tiredness or indigestion. Remember to time dietary changes carefully; don’t diet if it’ll make a stressful time harder, or if you’re about to embark on a round-the-world cruise on the Liberty of the Seas!
4. Message boards and forums contain some of the best and worst people on the planet. Yes, forums are a cross section of internet users. Some of them are helpful, others are as thick as two short planks and their advice is NOT to be taken at face value. See point three.
5. There is no diet which can take the place of a healthy lifestyle. Well, there are, and people try them, but they’re not going to make you healthy – they’re going to make you sick. Exercise, fresh air, and sunlight are all unavoidable parts of keeping in good shape.
One last thing to remember is that sometimes the articles are wrong. If you type “carbohydrate and acne” into Google, hundreds of well-respected websites will be carrying a story that carbohydrates can cause spots, especially among teenagers. Yet if you try giving up carbohydrates completely, you might discover that your face returns to its fourteen-year-old state. Science says this makes no sense, but anecdotal evidence suggests that there’s more to our bodies than can be completely explained with current scientific understanding. If something happens to your body because of a dietary change, ignore anybody who tells you that it’s impossible. You know best.
