Junk Science and Our Food Not everything we read or see on television or the Internet is good science. In fact, there is a lot of just plain JUNK around. A lot of that junk is related to what we eat, or our diets. All images are available on www.google.com with a Creative Commons 0 License.

Guidelines for selecting food Long before the discovery of vitamins and minerals, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) published its first dietary recommendations in 1894. In 1916, the first food guide, called “Food For Young Children” was published. The author, Caroline Hunt, who was also a nutritionist, divided food into 5 groups: milk and meat, cereals, vegetables and fruits, fats and fatty foods, and sugars and sugary foods. Today we have the Internet, where there is a lot of information about foods and diets. Not all of that information on the Internet is good information on which to base what we eat.

Diet Webster says: Diet is the food and drink regularly provided or consumed Diet is the kind and amount of food prescribed for a special reason Definitions of diet provided by the dictionary. We will be examining diet claims to determine if they are valid or “just junk”.

Fad Diets Teachers: Update this slide with a list of current fad diets. See notes section for some that were identified at the time of publication. Unfortunately there are a lot of misleading claims about diets on the Internet. This list includes some of the top diet searches in the past 6 (2012-2017) years according to Google.  Have you heard of any of these diets?  Have you TRIED any of these diets?   A few key points:  (if students seem interested, you could talk about ALL of them, or just select a few that you find interesting…) The Paleo Diet involves eating “like a caveman”… you can’t eat any food that wouldn’t have been eaten in prehistoric times! MasterCleanse involves drinking lemon water with cayenne pepper for most meals- very few calories & low in nutrients. The Blood Type Diet says that the foods that you should eat are influenced by your blood type- so for example, Type AB negative could eat carbs while losing weight, while Type O should stick to protein.  There is literally no scientific evidence that this is true. The Ketogenic Diet involves eating a high fat & protein diet and no carbs.   The Cabbage Soup Diet is exactly what it sounds like… eating cabbage soup at most meals.  Similar diets can be found all over the Internet- the Grapefruit Diet, the Taco Diet, even the Cookie Diet!  But variety is extremely important in a nutritious diet. Although some people are allergic to gluten, the protein in wheat, lots of other people are cutting out gluten in an attempt to lose weight.  Pretending you have a disease to lose a few pounds seems a little dishonest to me! Meal replacements like shakes or bars might help you lose weight at first- but most people don’t want to drink a protein shake for dinner every night for the rest of their lives.  This type of diet can be expensive, and most people regain what they’ve lost when they go back to eating “normally”.  The Raw Food Diet says you shouldn’t eat anything cooked… vegetables, fruits, grains, and protein foods are all eaten RAW.  There’s also zero proof that this will cause you to lose weight, except that you’re obviously not going to eat “raw” French fries.  If you don’t recognize these names, Adriana Lima, Miranda Kerr, Marisa Miller, and Lily Aldridge are all Victoria’s Secret / Sports Illustrated models.  I’m not surprised that people Google what these women eat to stay so slim and toned. Let’s all acknowledge that yes, they probably eat healthily and exercise constantly (because it’s their JOB), but most models are naturally thin and beautiful (and that’s how they GOT the job).  The alkaline diet says that eating foods that are more BASIC (on the pH scale) instead of acidic will help you lose weight.  This is not based on scientific fact.  The HCG diet involves getting INJECTIONS of hormones that are intended to “melt away” pounds.  When you stop paying for the extremely expensive shots, do you think you keep the weight off?  Atkins, South Beach, and other low-carb diets have been around forever, and the concept definitely works for some people- very high protein and low- or no-carbohydrates.  But our bodies are made to burn carbs, NOT protein, and these diets are typically not sustainable over the long term.  Most people find that when they start eating bread or sugar again, the pounds come right back.  Some diets are truly crazy sounding, like the Feeding Tube Diet where you have a feeding tube installed so that you get liquid nutrition instead of allowing ANY food to pass through your mouth (this is anorexia), or the Baby Food Diet where grown adults never chew anything and choose pureed peas and carrots for dinner.  The one thing that all of these diets have in common is that they are largely based on junk science.  They often make claims that they can’t back up, and some of them cause rapid and unhealthy weight loss that comes right back when you give up the diet.  Or WORSE, they don’t work at all, and you’ve wasted money and time. 

provides timely and objective food and nutrition information for consumers, and health professionals. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is a premiere source for information about diets and food intake. It provides timely and objective information. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is a credible source of information for consumers and health professionals. Ask students what ads they have seen that have health claims. Ask them to bring them to class to share with other students. Stop the PowerPoint at this time. The last slides will be used later.

Red Flags for Junk Science Recommendations that promise a quick fix Dire warnings of danger from a single product or regiment Claims that sound too good to be true When seeking information about food and diets people need to be able to distinguish between credible and factual information and the junk science. These are the warning signs of junk science.

Red Flags for Junk Science Simplistic conclusions drawn from a complex study Recommendations based on a single study Dramatic statements that are refuted by reputable scientific organizations

Red Flags for Junk Science Lists of “good” and “bad” foods Recommendations made to help sell a product Recommendations based on studies published without peer review Recommendations from studies that ignore differences among individuals or groups

Use media to find: Food supplement and diet advertisements Determine if the claims raise a red flag Make a copy of the ad What statements raise a red flag for you? Why would you disregard the claim? Have students work as a group or independently in class or assign as homework.