Hold the Hype!
Nutritional news can sometimes be the furthest thing from fact. Headlines shout out the latest superfood, while the internet is full of stories of people claiming that some random food cured their acne/ADD/thyroid disorder. If you can google it, someone is trying to make money and has already put a spin on it.
How can we weed through the information junk that pollutes the internet? How do we filter all the health information and "research studies" that seem poised to change the health of mankind?
Well, all we need to do is keep a few things in mind:
#1 Not every research study is worth looking at. A proper study should be well-designed from a scientific stand point, it should be published in a respected academic journal or publication, and it should be peer-reviewed. If not, any bloke with a query and a computer can conduct a "research study" and post it on the internet.
#2 When reading a study, check who funded the study. Research should come from a perspective that is void of biases. If a pharmaceutical company or food giant is the money behind a big research study, take what you read with a grain of salt.
#3 Read the original study. Nutritional news or health blurbs written by journalists often take the research information out of context. This can distort the importance of a particular aspect of the study and leave out key facts necessary to make an informed opinion.
For science nerds (like myself!), I recommend going straight to the source. Public Library of Science, The New England Journal of Medicine, and most Ivy- League universities all offer free or low-cost resources from top sources for a range of topics like Plaque Psoriasis (huh?) , Plant-based Diets , and Neuroscience. One university was offering courses in how to raise chickens. Hm...maybe when I have a garden.
This is the age of information. Work with practitioners who keep their pulse on what is real, current, and relevant. Get your information from real sources with an academic background and without an agenda. Remember that there is no magic pill for anything, just a lifetime of good habits and happy thoughts.