If we want to improve the quality of nutrition information on the net then we need to stop blaming ‘certified nutritionists’ for all of the crap information that is available on-line.
I mean it.
You can’t really blame the ‘certified nutritionists’. They probably paid good money for their certification and thus they probably beleive what they have been taught is true.
Most of them do not have advanced degrees in nutrition, and the vast majority of them are truly trying to help you lose weight and eat better.
So they are not the ones we should be blaming when they promote ridiculous nutrition myths – it’s the people who gave them the horrible education that we need to blame.
In case you didn’t know – No one certifies the certifiers. There is no governing body of nutrition that oversees the content of these courses.
Many of these course are multiple-choice mail-in style tests.
(Even the prestigious CSCS examination is a simple multiple choice test – When I wrote it in 2003 there was no practical or hands on component)
So it’s not the certified nutritionists you should be mad at, it’s the people who are misleading THEM that deserve our wrath.
These people are singled out at taken advantage of. They fall for clever marketing that prays on the fact that they really, truly want to help people eat better and lose weight!
If you get bad pseudo-science style advice – look at the true source – they are the people who need to be reprimanded.
BP
Tags: certified nutritionists, dietitians, nutritionists
Sorta – but if I am NOT a certified nutritionist, yet I have taken the trouble to go beyond what is commonly taught, is it not reasonable to expect people who intend to base a career upon a subject to look beyond the standard too?
Brad, I just started reading ESE and was wondering if you could write more about using ESE for someone who is not interested in losing fat, but rather maintaining their body composition and perhaps adding a bit of muscle. I am a football player and train everyday – for both strength, speed, agility, flexibility, etc. I need 4000 calories a day to maintain my weight. How would this work with ESE?
Great post
Jacqueline
http://jfitmom.blogspot.com
http://jfitpregnancy.blogspot.com
Too much money flying around in food/diet industry for there to be good untainted information about nutrition. Just like the supplement industry.
For years I gorged myself on breakfast cereals. The more the merrier. I was told they were healthy and no/low fat. I looked at the label… had 100% of everything and no fat how could they not be healthy?
I had so much inflammation during those years! I didn’t know any better, so I really didn’t know how crappy I really felt.
Not interested in foods that come prepackaged in boxes and bags these days. I eat what I want now and feel great. It just so happens almost none of it comes from bags/boxes if I can help it.
If you want people to believe you, one needs letters behind the name. I agree with you, what what one is fed to get those letters is hard to fight against. I’ve been promoting primal/ anti-inflammatory eating for some time to my clients, but without the right letters behind my name it was almost impossible for them to accept. Getting the letters meant wading through and regurgitating what I KNEW as garbage, so as to be able to help my clients accept that proper diet was more important than the exercise that I was helping them with.
[...] I DON’T blame Certified Nutritionists for all the lousy nutrition advice available on-line ==> http://bradpilon.com/2009/04/certified-n... [...]
I have similar goals (maintenance) and I basically fast once every 7-10 days. Seems to be working well so far.
Brad,
I completely agree with you about some certifications. I think that it was more important before the “information era”. These days, all of us have recent scientific studies at our fingertips. I can look up viewpoints of dozens of people on the same topic, see what studies they cite…do research and then decide for myself what I believe to be true.
When someone claims to be “the expert” because of their certification is when they stop learning. We are learning new things every day in the field of health and nutrition. I seek out people who are on top of the newest info. This is why I like reading your stuff, Craig B, Art De Vany, etc.
Awesome post,
Rusty
Me too Dustin and Ron. Fast once per week while eating more than maintenance calories on all other days. Up 12 pounds in 8 weeks. I still need to eat more most days.
Craig
@Dustin
Hi there,
I have to agree with some others here about your post.
@Methuselah – Pay Now Live Later
I agree with you and also Rusty.
I am working towards qualifications in nutrition and health (PHD level) but my education goes far beyond what I am taught. In fact I admire those who look beyond the standard especially when a lot of it is actually wrong ESPECIALLY in practise.
Yes of course one should be angry at those who teach the myths about nutrition etc, but some responsbility does lie with the individual. We must question what we are taught, otherwise we can’t grow.
Lots of people also settle for one side of an argument too when it comes to nutrition and then preach it likes its truth without ever looking into other research or points of view.
I admire those that don’t follow a set course and take their own path – they are the people I have learnt from the most.
Kelly