| |
|
Finding accurate diet and
nutrition information
Nutrition information is not difficult to find. Finding
good diet and nutrition
information, however, can be
quite difficult if you don't
know how to look at the
information available to
you. Consider the following
statements.
Milk is highly underrated.
Experts say, America
finds itself in a calcium
crisis today because
consumers aren't drinking
enough milk.
Milk is highly overrated.
Experts say, If you
really want to play it safe,
you may decide to join the
growing number of Americans
who are eliminating dairy
products from their diets
altogether.
Which one of those
statements is true? If you
follow diet and nutrition
news at all, you’ve probably
heard about the debate over
milk and its inclusion in
our diet. There is a
difference of opinion about
the values and dangers of
milk in our diet. Where did
I find these opposing
quotes?
The first statement is from
whymilk .com, a
website promoting the
benefits of milk. If you
look at the bottom of the
home page, you will find
that it is sponsored by an
entity comprised of
America’s milk processors.
This is the entity that
produces all the now famous
Got Milk? ads.
That fact does not validate
nor negate the content and
statements on the website
about milk. It does,
however, make me think. It
gives me a filter through
which to view and analyze
the statements made by the
website. In other words, I
now know the website's bias.
The second statement is in
an article posted on
notmilk .com, a website
dedicated to spreading the
news about the dangers of
milk. How did I find these
websites?
Of course, I turned to one
of the major search engines.
Placing the word milk
in the rectangular box, I
pressed Enter, and
off went the search engine’s
spiders all over the web,
searching frantically,
hungry for nutrition
information. What they
brought back is interesting.
The two quotes at the
beginning of this article
are from the two websites
noted above. The two
websites noted above are,
respectively, Result #1 and
Result #2 from the major
search engine as of the
moment I am writing these
words.
Evaluating Nutrition
Information
What’s the point? The web is
a forum of different ideas,
conflicting agendas, and
polar opposites. Sometimes
you have to do some homework
to really find out what a
website is all about.
The first website I browsed
made the point pretty easy
to understand. Examine,
however, the second website.
It is a little more
difficult to ferret out my
point. Search Result # 1 is
from a website with a
specific agenda, namely, the
promotion of milk as a
benefit to our health. Thus,
the Got Milk?ads. At
least that is the stated,
obvious agenda.
The first website,
whymilk .com, is
sponsored by America’s milk
processors. Now I know what
the underlying agenda is for
that website: sell more milk
and dispel the notion that
milk is not a part of good
nutrition and a balanced
diet.
Now there’s nothing wrong
with that as long as the
consumer knows about the
underlying agenda or, at the
least, can find out about it
through a rather cursory
perusal of the website.
Armed with that information,
we can filter all of the
content and advertisements
we see from that website. In
other words, we will keep in
the back of our mind the
entire time we are nosing
around in the whymilk
website the notion that they
are trying to get us to buy
milk. Fair enough.
Search Result #2 is also
from a website with an
agenda that is a little more
complicated. It is here
where the consumer might
make some decisions for the
wrong reasons and based upon
incorrect assumptions.
Notmilk .com is a
website dedicated to
evangelizing lactose
saturated sinners who drink
milk and bring them into the
light of salvation. That
salvation comes when each
adherent realizes the evils
of milk, rejects said evils,
and turns from them
unalterably, wholeheartedly,
and irrevocably. Then, and
only then, will you have
turned from your wicked
lactose laden life and be
free of the Dairy Devil.
Now I have no reason to
question or affirm this
website’s sincerity in
believing that milk is not
good for human consumption.
What does make me stop and
think, however, is the ad
for a device called a
SoyToy right on the
homepage.
With this device you can
make fresh and delicious soy
milk from dried beans in
only twenty-five minutes at
just four cents per quart.
And it’s yours for only
$159.00 (plus shipping and
handling). Hmmmm. Are you
beginning to get the point?
What is really interesting
is that if you look hard
enough you find that the
owner of the amazing SoyToy
is EVS Holding Company. This
is without a doubt one of
the most laughable things I
have seen in awhile. Not
that it’s that uncommon.
No, it’s because it is so
common that it is
laughable. While promoting
your good health through the
SoyToy found on the notmilk
.com website, the same
entity is the holding
company for Arrowhead
Smokes. There three major
products? Cigarettes...
Cigars... and Snuff. Yes,
you read correctly–snuff!
Put that in your
nutrition information pipe
and smoke it. Now are you
getting the point?
If not, here’s the Online
Help button.
When it comes to your
health, doesn’t it make
sense to rely on the
professionals to help you
make choices about weight
loss, diet and nutrition
information?
Consult your physician or
medical practitioner about
milk or about anything that
has to do with altering your
diet significantly. He or
she is a trained medical
professional who, in most
circumstances, is only
trying to sell you his or
her service by being the
best medical professional
they can be!
Now, I’m not expecting
anyone to believe that
doctors don’t give one
product a little push over
an equally effective product
from time to time. They
sometimes do a little
“affiliate advertising” of
their own in a roundabout
sort of way.
But how long has it been
since your physician offered
you, along with your annual
exam, a chance to make soy
milk from dried beans in
less than twenty-five
minutes? And at such an
“easy on the wallet” price
of $159.00 (plus shipping
and handling). Hmmmm.
And now surely there are
those adept ones reading
this who are now wondering
just what is my
angle? Where am I coming
from?
I have a website too, and
you’ll find it at
www.bestweightlossforus.com.
We offer really up to date
content and tools to assist
in healthy weight loss. Most
of what we promote is
absolutely free. But
NEVER FORGET this: I'm
still going to try and sell
you something!. And that’s
true of almost every website
you’ll encounter.
And that is absolutely fine.
It’s absolutely fine as long
as we as consumers have the
opportunity to get to the
site's story behind the
story. That is
particularly important when
it comes to your health.
So what's the point? It does
not matter whether it’s
pro-milk .com, anti-milk
.com, or whocaresaboutmilk?
.com
It doesn't even matter if it
is my website you are
surfing. Find out who has
created the site, and why
they created it before you
make any decisions based on
that site’s advice.
Dig a little! Find out just
who sponsors the website,
what they are saying and
what they are promoting.
Find out also, and perhaps
more importantly, what they
are NOT saying or
promoting-–that’s the
story behind the story.
And when it comes to your
health, consult with your
physician. Know the facts.
Then you will be able to
make sound decisions and
choices regarding your diet
and nutrition because you
will have good nutrition
information.
If you have any diet and
nutrition information
questions, please don't
hesitate to contact us.
|
|
