Social Media Vs. Your Health
Social Media Vs. Your Health
How to Avoid Misleading Diet & Fitness Trends
In my business, social media can be a blessing and a curse. Too often I see posts that are filled with risky fitness trends and misleading diet and nutrition information. With the rise of social media influencers and targeted ads that allow unvetted misinformation to reach millions of people, we have created a population who has no idea what is true and what is false. Worst still is that much of this online content gives unrealistic expectations of what being healthy requires, so it has distorted what people consider to be healthy. For instance, there are people who are perfectly healthy who now believe they need to lose more body fat because they cannot see their ab muscles. This is not an indicator of health.
Being incredibly lean or muscular does not make you a health expert. It does not necessarily even make you healthy. In addition to not being a guarantee of good advice, assessing information based on aesthetics ignores the fact that the dietary factors most important for promoting health are not necessarily the same as the dietary factors that are most important for athletic performance or aesthetics. Of course, there are many social media influencers who put out great information. Many influencers are evidence-based and honest in their advice to their followers. And the same applies to those in fields like bodybuilding. However, they are unfortunately outnumbered by those profiting off people seeking dietary advice without caring about the consumers’ wellness or if their information is accurate. And all too often, the information they are doling out come at a financial price, as well as a health price.
So how do you know what is evidence-based versus pseudoscience? Spotting pseudoscience can be tricky. Typically, those spreading the message claim it is based on seemingly relatable science. So it is often hard to immediately know how trustworthy it is. However, even non-scientists can use some simple methods to spot warning signs.
Is there evidence for the claim being made? Can the person making the claim support it with solid evidence? Oftentimes I will see claims that present research that supports their claim while leaving out or ignoring research that does not support it - or cherry-picking data.
Does the influencer use emotional language and/or claim one food is the problem? Most pseudoscientists prey on people’s fears and insecurities. They build a narrative claiming one food is evil or another food/supplement is a savior. For example, people will claim optimal health is achieved when you cut out gluten, or dairy, or sugar, or grains with a lovely looking spokesperson declaring that they feel so much better after cutting this food group out of their diet. Not only is this anecdotal, it is a claim that cannot be tested in reality. Removing these food groups will also remove nutrients and vitamins essential to optimal health that can ultimately lead you to severe deficiencies.
Are they speaking in absolutes? When you hear a claim like, “Diet X is the best diet for everyone,” that is a major indicator for pseudoscience. Honestly, if it sounds too good to be true, then it usually is. Evidence-based recommendations are more sensible and don’t tend to come with quick fix-it end results.
It is way too easy to go down a rabbit hole when all you are looking for is sound advice on diet and nutrition. A registered dietitian, nutritionist or primary care doctor is your best source for nutrition advice. Many Certified Personal Trainers (CPT) and Certified Wellness Coaches (CWC) also have certifications in this area and can help you at a more goal orientated level.
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Kim Duke is a certified personal trainer and owner of Core Performance Fitness and Training, 55 Bristol Lane, Ellicottville, NY. Kim resides in Ellicottville where she raised her two sons, Zach and Nik. For more information about her studio, visit her Facebook (Core Performance Health and Fitness), Instagram (@cptcoreperformance), go to www.coreperformancefitness.com or call her directly at 716-698-1198.
