If anyone has any questions about nutrition I can sort of help. Q&A

By doing some extensive research on my own dietary journey, I know some stuff about nutrition that some people may not know. I'm not a licensed nutritionist or anything like that so I will try to provide sources when I can. I fully encourage everyone to do their own research instead of fully trusting me or nutritionists and dieticians, because they are most often less educated in nutrition than you may think. Use critical thinking and try and figure out what makes sense for you specifically, based on your species, race, ethnicity, environment, history, medical problems, allergies, your own experience, etc.

Comments

  • @quititz

    I have a 2 years of university education in biology, chemistry, pathology, microbiology, and psychology. I also have a 4 year degree in nutrition that I obtained after completing a 36 week-supervised internship. After writing a 6 hour credentialing exam, I was finally given my "Registered Dietitian" credentials, which I maintain each year by submitting and completing a self-directed learning plan. I also have a MSc in Human Nutrition and penned dietetic guidelines on plant-based diets and eating disorder nutrition.

    As mentioned, I love your passion and think that it's great you want to provide advice. However, I think it's important that you have a greater idea of the training dietitians go through and why we are referred to as experts in the field.

    I encourage you to keep sharing advice but I just want to make sure others see it as such. For individualized guidance, it's important to consult with a dietitian in your area that can deliver medical nutrition therapy.

    Kind regards,

    Susan Macfarlane, MScA, RD
    Registered Dietitian Nutritionist
    cronometer.com
    As always, any and all postings here are covered by our T&Cs:
    https://forums.cronometer.com/discussion/27/governing-terms-and-disclaimer

  • quititz
    edited August 2020

    @Susan_RD_101
    That's cool and all, but have you considered if there is any evidence behind everything that you learned? There might be a lot that you were told that might not be true, at least not for humans. I don't have the best ide of the training dieticians go through but I have a pretty good idea on where nutritional-science stands today; It's young, we've made mistakes, and there have been very few long-term human studies that prove anything to the point where there should be any dietary guidelines made. The best advice I or anyone else could give to anyone about diet is simply to find out for yourself by experimenting until you find what your body needs and doesn't react poorly to. Everyone is different but in many ways, we are all the same; we are humans and humans have been eating mostly meat for millions of years, meaning that the most likely diet to be most effective for the most amount of people would be the carnivore diet. This is also supported by the evidence of how the human digestive system seems to be built for digesting primarily meat. Humans are omnivores and can indeed eat other things than meat, but that does not mean we are at our optimal performance when doing so, and it's most likely the opposite. Following the advice of dieticians and nutritionists is what made a lot of people sick, including myself, in the first place so I don't recommend it but some dieticians are smarter than others.

  • I follow the science and because of Susan's extensive training in nutrition science, I pay close attention to her recommendations. I have subscribed to the Tufts University Health and Nutrition monthly newsletter for many years, which bases its guidance on science not pseudoscience or junk science or cherry-picked science. I actually think if more people followed the solid dietary advice of nutritionists, fewer people would be sick. I have heart disease and follow a lower-saturated-fat diet, with sufficient fiber and protein, healthy fats, and little added sugar.

  • I don't understand this thread unless it is intended as humor. I think the original poster would be more appreciated at The Onion or the White House.

    "Eat food, not too much, mostly plants." Michael Pollan

  • @Nemo

    Thanks for your vote of confidence! Being a dietitian means I'm liable for what I say. And while I have my own dietary preferences and beliefs, I work hard to manage them and ensure that my recommendations are based on objective and rigorous scientific research.

    Susan Macfarlane, MScA, RD
    Registered Dietitian Nutritionist
    cronometer.com
    As always, any and all postings here are covered by our T&Cs:
    https://forums.cronometer.com/discussion/27/governing-terms-and-disclaimer

  • And so continues the death of expertise. It baffles me that people believe there’s an equivalency between those who stick a keyword in Google and spend an hour or two on the Internet and those who devote their lives to learning the subject. Quite remarkable.

    Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.