ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, December 26, 1996 TAG: 9612260007
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
COLUMN: The Home front
SOURCE: SARAH D. BURKETT
It's human nature to want things to be simple. (Fast and easy would be handy, too.) Perhaps that's one reason why we're so tempted by news reports that lead us to believe adding (or deleting) particular foods from our diet - be they oat bran, butter or tofu - is the key to a longer, healthier life. Yet, when those reports are called into question, as surely they will be, we're left feeling angry, as though we'd been led astray.
The promise that there's a quick fix out there tops a list of 10 "Red Flags" the Food and Nutrition Science Alliance issued recently as guidelines by which Americans can judge the quality of scientific information as reported in the press.
You can use these tips to evaluate reports on nutrition and health issues before jumping to premature conclusions. Any combination of these signs should send up a red flag of suspicion about the accuracy of the information.
1. Recommendations that promise a quick fix.
2. Dire warnings of dangers from a single product or regimen.
3. Claims that sound too good to be true.
4. Simplistic conclusions drawn from a complex study.
5. Recommendations based on a single study.
6. Dramatic statements that are refuted by reputable scientific organizations.
7. Lists of "good" and "bad" foods.
8. Recommendations made to help sell a product.
9. Recommendations based on studies published without peer review. (Peer review is a process by which a study submitted for publication is sent to outside experts in the field for their comments as to its worth.)
10. Recommendations from studies that ignore differences between individuals or groups.
While the press tends to pick up what's new and dramatic - and likely to spark reader interest - the basic message about what constitutes a healthy diet has remained the same.
Remember the Three Words of Nutrition Wisdom - Varied, Moderation, Balance.
These describe how you should approach your food choices over time. There are no good or bad foods, just wise and unwise ways of eating:
*Vary the foods you eat from each of the food groups of the Food Guide Pyramid.
*Vary the foods you eat within each food group.
*Don't eat too much, or too little, of any one food or food group.
*Balance food choices with sufficient activity to maintain a healthy weight.
LENGTH: Medium: 54 linesby CNB