Confusion: the state of nutritional advice.

There never seems to be a lack of information and opinions on nutritional advice. I have come to realize that there are a few topics that you just don't want to talk about with people if you plan on avoiding conflict:

1. Politics
2. Religion
3. Nutrition and Diets (and why sharing my sources yesterday made me a little nervous!)

It is also interesting where that information comes from at times. For example, Nikki and I were at Sam's Club to load our freezer with Salmon, Chicken and a few other meat items, when I decided to check out their whey protein selection. (I have decided to try adding a little whey to a smoothie in the mornings after my running workouts, because I can't eat meat that early and I don't like eating eggs everyday.) After finding their selection, I noticed that they were out of vanillia flavored whey. I found a stocker and asked if he could check to see if they had any in stock somewhere else.

The stocker was a very nice guy and he inoccently asked if I had used the product before. I said "no". Oops! Nikki and I spent the next 10 minutes listening to his analysis of why the product didn't work and how his (and similarly mine, because we are both small, I guess) metabolism was such that adding whey to his diet would never work.

Nikki and I smiled, said "thank you" and replied, "we don't really want to gain any weight by using it, we just want to use it for a recovery drink after running." With a confused look, he went to the computer to see if they had any.

(To be fair, he may have some background that would justify his advice. I don't know.)

Information Overload. Information Contradiction.

There are so many messages in the media and public about nutrition and supplements, that people have to sort through the information and make a decision for themselves. I imagine that people become attached to those decisions and to ease their minds, they decide that anything that doesn't support their decision must be false.

To make problems worse, the agencies that are supposed to help the public sort through the information only make it worse.

Today's Case: The AP has a story (on MSN) titled, "Little evidence that multivitamins do any good". The story runs two pages. Most of the story is about the lack of evidence about the benefit of using vitamins and possibly the potential for health problems with over consuming vitamins and minerals in the diet. Here's a quote by one individual on the NIH panel,

For the average healthy American, there's simply not enough evidence to tell if taking vitamins is a good or bad idea, said Dr. J. Michael McGinnis of the Institute of Medicine, who led the NIH panel's review.

By the end of the article, a casual reader could easily come to the conclusion that they shouldn't take a multivitamin, especially if they are already healthy. But wait! As usual, there is a small paragraph tucked in at the end of the article,

But "for millions of Americans who struggle with diet and nutrition, a daily multivitamin provides a safe, affordable, and reliable means of filling nutrition gaps and promoting overall good health," added council president Steven Mister.

Now the reader is left to decide for themselves, if they "struggle with diet and nutrition." I imagine most people in today's rushed society believe they struggle a little. The reader must also decide what motives or biases the president of the Council for Responsible Nutrition might have.

So where does that leave us?

The NIH panel was "split", the Council for Responsible Nutrition supports regulation of supplements, but sees the benefit of supplements for "millions of Americans." The stocker at Sam's Club suggests that you don't use whey protein. And I'm waiting for the next diet craze that makes half the people pissed off and the other happy and justifed.

Whatever happended to "An apple a day, keeps the doctor away?"

Happy Eating. Because it should be happy!