Who To Believe?
In a world bombarded by information, knowing fact from fad can become difficult. Health information seems to come at you from all directions, from the influencers on your phone, to magazines, to your doctor, to your neighbour, to your friends, to your mom.
I can tell you from experience there are 3 key areas my clients come in asking about information they were told:
Social Media
Their friends or co-workers
Their family
And while it seems a no-brainer to believe the person with the medical or nutrition degree, that is largely NOT the person most people are listening to. SO why?
Many studies have shown that people make as much as 90% of their decisions based on emotions, then use logic to justify them! Daniel Kahneman won a Nobel Prize for showing this phenomenon in the way people make financial decisions and from there it has been extrapolated to other fields. So, it makes absolute sense that the people you admire most and the people you have the most emotional bonds with will have the most influence over your decisions. When this comes to your health and nutrition, it can have a big impact.
When you hear a piece of information, for example about diet or supplement advice ask yourself:
How does this align with MY health values?
Is this person being paid to sell me something?
What knowledge around food or medicine do they have?
You are the biggest expert of your body. You will have an instinctual idea whether this piece of information is right for you. Research it. Ask your Dietitian or Doctor or consult credible resources like Eatright.org or Indi.ie.
With the start of a New Year, there are lots of vulnerable people out there listening to bad advice. Questioning a piece of information before you begin a new, expensive, or disruptive change in your lifestyle might save you a lot of time, health, and money. Taking charge of your health is a positive, so lets have you start on the right foot.
