Five Nutrition Trend Mistakes to Avoid

By Maryann Tomovich Jacobsen, MS, RD

Not too long ago I wrote about nutrition tends that I think are worth adopting. But no matter how much merit these health movements have, there are always some negative consequences that comes from them.

In fact, most people start following nutrition trends start for really good reasons. But as their lives continue, mistakes are made, leaving some people worse off than when they started. Here are five common mistakes people make when following the latest nutrition guidance.

1. Go extreme: When people first started losing weight decades ago, focusing on calories was the thing to do. I mean, it makes sense that if people are gaining weight they may need to cut back on their caloric intake.

But what followed were extreme approaches that cut too many calories, like the cabbage soup diet. The problem is that when people cut too many calories, they eat even more when palatable food is available and the metabolism reacts negatively to repeated cycles of deprivation.

Extreme approaches are usually based on the idea that if a little of something is good for us, more must be better and if a lot of something is bad for health, a little is also bad.

2. Staying singularly focused: In the fat-free fat days I remember clients coming and telling me they were keeping their fat intake under 20 grams. When I asked why, they told me that they wanted to keep fat as low as possible. It didn’t matter that they were still eating foods like SnackWells, huge bagels and fat-free sweets.

No matter what nutritional factor someone focuses on, doing that one thing doesn’t guarantee a healthy diet. Organic diets can still be nutritionally devoid just as low-fat ones can. Bottom line: nutrition is complex and solely focusing on one aspect is sure to get you in trouble.

3. Ignoring science: A 2001 study published in Pediatrics describes a 17-month-old boy diagnosed with rickets. When he was weaned off the breast he transitioned to a soy beverage that was not fortified with vitamin D. Being vegan and indoors most of the day, he did not get any vitamin D. At 9 months his growth slowed and by 17 months he was wasted, thin and regressed in development.

The natural, whole-food movement may lead some to believe that anything artificial, including supplementation or fortification, is bad for health. But research shows key nutrients, especially in growing children, may not always be present, in even a whole-food diet.

4. Health halos = excuse to eat: In a 2010 study in the Journal of Judgment and Decision Making researchers asked 114 college students to rate two Oreo cookie products. One was said to be made with organic ingredients and other was not. Even with the calories listed as the same, the products labeled organic were perceived by the subjects to be lower in calories.

Other research shows that “health halos” (generalizing certain health claims, such as organic or low fat, to the health and/or calorie properties of food) make people more likely to overeat certain foods.

5. Mega dosing before the science catches up: In the 80s vitamin E was found to have antioxidant properties and many rushed to take this miracle vitamin. Fast forward 30 years and studies have shown high-level vitamin E supplements are not beneficial — and they may even be risky.

When it comes to supplements, stay conservative until results are more conclusive. Even with vitamin D, I take enough to keep my levels reasonable but not as high as some researchers recommend. I want to watch the science for a little longer before upping my dosage.

If you can avoid these mistakes and take the good that each nutrition trend offers (while keeping your eye on the big picture), you and your family’s health will be better off.

I admit to making some of these mistakes early in my career, especially during the fat-free days. Any nutrition mistakes you want to share? Join the discussion in the comments below or in our Food and Cooking and Diet communities.