A best kept Hollywood secret: nutrition and fitness myths

Did you know that sugar is toxic? – Well it’s not

That coconut oil can cure everything from HIV to obesity? – Well it can’t

Or, that banana’s are a demonic fruit sent to Earth by a superior race who wants to supress human intelligence and DNA in preparation for their impending supremacy? – Well …

… Maybe not but I’m sure I could sell that with a little help from a marketing team and a book deal which uses some gosh darn good scientific “evidence,” opinions from medical “experts,” some championed personal antidotes of how I defeated this race and ‘Quit Bananas,’ and of course some good old fashioned celebrity endorsements.

Sound ludicrous? It may, but these are the tactics and strategies used time and time again to sell the next best nutrition and fitness myths. So before you go jumping on board the latest craze, buying something with the words “Best kept Hollywood secret” on the label, or stocking the pantry with the latest “Super food” from the jungles of Scotland, take advantage of the plethora of information available on the internet, get savvy about what you read and do a little myth busting.

Of course de-bunking myths and sift through fact and fiction on the internet is not an easy (or quick!) task, but here are some simple strategies that can help you get accurate information:

Look for big red flags – any of those examples above (celebrity endorsement, personal antidotes, “evidence” that sounds too good to be true, unsubstantiated, overly simple or unnecessarily complicated), should ring alarm bells.
See what leading health authorities and organisations think about it – if the position isn’t supported or promoted by groups such as the Dietitians Association of Australia, Nutrition Australia, or NHMRC recommendations such as The Australian Dietary Guidelines, amongst others, than it is probably an unsubstantiated claim.
Find out where the evidence has come from and who it has been funded by– a good level of evidence will be supported by multiple, independent, sources with an unbiased agenda. This is not always easy or even possible as many organisations fund research and produce good quality evidence, but keep in mind, research that has proved less favourable probably hasn’t been published.
Seek medical advice – shocking I know, but if all else fails google can also be used to look up the details of medical practitioners in your area who can give you appropriate medical information, advice and referrals.

The Kids Menu is on a mission de-bunk all those nutrition and fitness myths you’ve been wondering about and to help you determine nutrition and fitness fact from fiction. Drop by and check out The Monthly Myth Busting blog giving you up-to-date, high quality nutrition and fitness information. No celebrity endorsements, personal anecdotes, bias agendas, quick fixes or “evidence” that sounds too good to be true – just honest research, solid evidence and best-practice information.

91 Comments

- - mom101628 said
  - 06 Oct 2016
    9:58 pm
Always find out what you need to know for yourself – celebrity’s just don’t know everything.

- - Melissa89 said
  - 27 Jul 2016
    1:13 pm
It is so important to do your own research

- - mom109229 said
  - 30 Sep 2015
    10:27 pm
This was an interesting mini article. Thanks for posting!

- - mom94125 said
  - 08 Jan 2015
    11:20 pm
yeah i think that money matters more than being real and trying to help people achieve health, most of the time.
- mom94125 replied
  
  19 Oct 2015 , 6:18 pm
  cheers nikki. love this post, love to know about the truth of these types of things
- - meedee said
  - 12 Aug 2014
    3:06 pm
Oh gosh you hear all these things from time to time on certain foods….
I remember a friend of mine who refused to eat licorice because she swore it caused cancer.

- - sambii said
  - 12 Aug 2014
    2:29 pm
So many fads and it’s so hard to keep up with! I just stick to everything in moderation and make sure we eat all the good stuff and not too much of the other stuff….

- - mom73576 said
  - 04 Aug 2014
    9:53 am
There is so much bad advice out there and people are so desperate to have that quick fix. Sorry, but it just comes down to healthy eating and exercise. No pain, no gain.

- - skbou said
  - 31 Jul 2014
    1:17 pm
Well who knew that about bananas!!!! Lol. I’m not sure I’ve ever been swayed to try anything because of a celebrity endorsement, but it must sell stuff somewhere along the line because a fair bit of it goes on. It’s always best to do some of your own research & questioning.

- - jabelle said
  - 28 Jul 2014
    10:33 am
Great article and a good laugh!

- - mouse said
  - 19 Jul 2014
    10:27 am
there seems to be so much conflicting stories, how can one group say one thing and the other another, shouldn’t there be set standards they need to follow before they can give out advice on topics

- - 3timesamum said
  - 16 Jun 2014
    1:27 pm
There are some awfully unqualified a people selling ideas that are taken as fact by many of us. I tend to stick to scientific evidence over a celebrity spruiking something nowadays.

- - mums-info said
  - 01 Jun 2014
    6:21 pm
Thanks for sharing with us

- - twinmum2 said
  - 31 May 2014
    9:42 pm
I never believe celebrity endorsements, it just means that the celebrity got paid a lot of money for endorsing the product not that they actually love the product and use it themselves.
- ginoula5 replied
  
  08 Aug 2014 , 8:00 pm
  I agree too twinmum – I question the product if it’s endorsed by a celebrity actually.
- - mom57184 said
  - 29 May 2014
    4:30 pm
Great advice

- - mom57522 said
  - 29 May 2014
    12:49 pm
Just because it’s on TV, doesn’t make it true.

- - scottie said
  - 29 May 2014
    10:09 am
So true – just use good common sense and try to find out about any new products before just following the trends.

- - christial said
  - 27 May 2014
    8:19 pm
Usually anything to do with celeb endorsed products fads! Stay away from these and just use common sense!

- - kazh said
  - 25 May 2014
    11:13 pm
Balance, moderation and common sense. Let’s just skip the fads

- - meimei said
  - 20 May 2014
    5:25 pm
Great article. I enjoy read it.

- - Mrs Bucket (that's pronounced Bouquet) said
  - 20 May 2014
    9:14 am
Sensible information thanks. Celebrity endorsements, I steer clear.