Real World Nutrition News You Can Use
There is a lot of misinformation about nutrition. And nothing in this field is black-or-white, yes-or-no, but many shades of gray and a lot of “it depends.” So, my goal is to help clear up some of that misinformation with some snark, entertainment, and facts (with some opinion thrown in).
Many of these topics come from interactions with the public, friends, clients, and students. I see sheer misinformation about the science of nutrition, and I do my best to clear things up one blog post at a time.
If you have a topic you are wondering about, let me know.
Looking for a specific topic? Search to see if it is already here.
Hormones In Your Food? Absolutely
When it comes to hormones in our food, there is a LOT of misinformation.
I’ve heard people state as fact (even though it is not) that kids are going through puberty at an earlier age now (compared to past generations) because of the “hormones in milk.” Never mind that hormones have always been in milk. Always.
People will say that chickens are “pumped full of hormones,” so they are bigger now than in past generations. They aren’t.
While on the other hand, I often get how to eat to “balance hormones.”
Chicken Labels – What You Need to Know
Chicken and eggs have a lot of similar labels that are misleading. Usually, the information is entirely accurate but still misleading.
Front of the package nutrition labels are often like this. I did a series on Deconstructing Food Labels in January 2022 in which I covered Tricky Front of the Package Claims and covered misleading yet valid claims.
Like eggs, chicken has similar claims such as free-range, no antibiotics – ever, natural, no hormones, no steroids, vegetarian-fed, non-GMO, gluten-free, minimally processed, etc. It is exhausting sometimes.
Are there some you should pay attention to and others you can ignore? Totally.
Egg Labels - What You Should Know
Eggs have some of the more misleading labels you may find on the market.
When I say misleading, they tell the truth – but they are not always telling the whole truth.
Some things you may see on the egg cartons when promoting eggs are all-natural, free-range, no hormones or no added hormones, no antibiotics, cage-free, and free-range. Oh, and there is an idea that brown eggs are healthier than white eggs.
But what most people don’t realize is that pretty much all these labels can be on any carton of eggs. These terms don’t have much meaning, and here is why.