For this blog we have Harry Taylor, a PhD student investigating the effects of changing energy and nutrient availability at Liverpool John Moores University. He completed his Master’s in Sport and Exercise Science at the University of Bath. With experience in health and nutrition, Harry is going to talk about where to look for nutrition advice.
December’s indulgences have now transitioned into the grey of January, and ‘tis the season of New Year’s resolutions. This blog aims to help those trying to improve their diet in 2021 by outlining where to look for reliable nutrition resources amongst the many options available.
Why is it so hard to find clear and unbiased nutrition advice?
Online nutrition advice is a minefield. If you’re still reading, it’s probably because you have encountered this. The reason for this is that nutrition as a scientific discipline is relatively young. Alongside this, for every researcher involved with nutrition that would state caution in providing a one-size-fits-all dietary plan for the public, there are also countless nutrition ‘gurus’, documentaries, blogs and social-media influencers that are willing to market diet plans and supplements that are not always backed by evidence.
What’s more, everybody eats, and nearly everybody has an opinion on nutrition. I am sure that you will have, at some point, encountered that individual who has engaged with the latest nutrition trend or documentary and decided that this is the diet for them. Oh, and it should be for you too.
All of which builds uncertainty surrounding nutrition guidance, and the media does not help either. I outline these issues not to rant (although that’s been fun), but because they are important for you to bear in mind when evaluating the quality of a resource or product.
So, where is best place to go for nutrition advice?
Dietitians and Nutritionists:
To start, the options that may require some payment. However, these options should provide the highest quality of nutritional guidance, whether that be for a one-off class or for long-term nutrition coaching. ‘Dietitians’ are qualified health professionals, who will have studied for a degree in dietetics. This means that they are qualified to advise both healthy individuals and also those with health conditions that require specialist guidance, such as eating disorders, irritable bowel syndrome, coeliac disease or other food intolerances. Furthermore, the term ‘dietitian’ is legally protected, meaning that only qualified professionals can use the title and that there is a regulatory body for registered dietitians. More information on how to find a registered dietitian (RD) can be found here.
‘Nutritionist’ on the other hand, is not a protected term. Finding a qualified and registered professional is therefore important and there are various regulatory bodies that allow nutritionists to do this. The NHS recommend using the Association for Nutrition website to search for a nutritionist. The association have a registration process for anyone who wants to operate under the title of ‘Registered Associate Nutritionist’ (ANutr) or ‘Registered Nutritionist’ (RNutr), giving you a degree of confidence in the coach you select! Another good place to investigate is the Sport and Exercise Nutrition Register (SENR). The SENR is a voluntary register, which offers accreditation to “suitably qualified and experienced registrants.” To register, practitioners are audited to ensure competency, adequate education level and professionalism. Whilst SENR practitioners tend to be active in sports nutrition, the underlying principles are similar for most active individuals.
For those seeking cheaper and readily accessible guidance, the options are nearly endless.
Website and blogs:
The Precision Nutrition website is a great starting point. Whilst PN are an organisation that primarily exists to provide coaching qualifications to early career nutritionists (and going to this level of detail may not be everybody’s aim), the website also features a free-to-access blog and infographics sections, which covers everything from nutrition basics through to balanced arguments for the latest nutrition topics.
MySportScience: Ran by prominent sports scientist Asker Jeukendrup, the MySportScience website and blog is a self-professed go-to destination for objective and evidence-based coverage of topics in sports nutrition and sports science more broadly, as well as fighting pseudo-science. Contributing to the website is reserved for top researchers and Asker alone, meaning that you are getting world-leading research, in lay terms. The website also has a published list of top nutrition researchers to follow on social-media.
The Nutrition X-Change features blogs from top researchers regarding nutrition and supplementation. Considering they’re a nutrition company, it is to be expected that the topics of these often relate to supplements available for purchase (so bear this in mind).
Podcasts/Youtube Channels
Sigma Nutrition Radio (with Danny Lennon): With ~350 episodes to date, it’s fair to say that Sigma Nutrition Radio has covered a lot of nutritional ground. Each episode tackles a selected topic, appraising the evidence currently available in lay-terms and usually with world-leading researchers on the area invited along for the discussion.
‘We do Science’ by the Institute of Performance Nutrition (IOPN): The IOPN run a superb podcast that invites leading researchers from around the world on to discuss their research and contemporary topics in sports nutrition, similarly to Sigma radio. The podcast does delve into the underpinning physiology at times, as it is aimed more towards practitioners. However, the take home messages provided, and breadth of topics covered make this another great resource
IOC Diploma Sports Nutrition (YouTube channel): A fantastic resource of video clips that are typically between ~30 seconds and two minutes long. On the channel, top researchers get asked contemporary nutrition questions such as ‘Is a Calorie a Calorie?’ or ‘Top 3 tips for building muscle’ and then provide a take-home answer. A good one for anyone wanting a quick answer to a particular nutrition question
Scientific research:
Going straight to the source that newspapers and bloggers often get their information from can cut out the ‘middle-man’, allowing you to make your own judgement on what the science says. A good starting point is position stands from well recognised organisations, such as this paper from the International Society of Sports Nutrition. These bring together all of the available data on a topic and form a short conclusion. Organisations such as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) publish these consensus statements on a semi-regular basis. They are typically easy to find, usually free-to-access and as my old supervisor liked to quip, ‘an evidence-based discussion is everyone’s favourite form of pub conversation.’
This list is by no means exhaustive and there’s plenty more good resources available, but I’m, already well over my 500-word limit (sorry Rob!). Disclaimer: I reserve the right to change my opinion on these recommendations in light of new, or previously missed, quackery! Those pursuing a change in exercise/nutrition practices should consult with a medical professional and do so in line with their guidance. Those with an eating disorder or suspected eating disorder should seek medical consultation as a matter of urgency.