5 common nutrition misconceptions
Jessica Oddo
Article Summary
The article I read was “5 common nutrition misconceptions explained by a dietitian” by Ellie Krieger and it was published on April 1, 2016. This article describes 5 common misconceptions on nutrition and popular food. The five misconceptions are that there isn’t any nutritional value to cereal, Greek yogurt is always better than regular yogurt, you should never put mayo on your sandwich, coconut oil is a healthy alternative to olive oil, and you should cut all sugar from your diet. Simple cereals, like whole grain and unsweetened cereal, can be very nutritious and while people often believe Greek yogurt is better for you because of the protein it supplies, regular yogurt has more calcium and minerals. Also mayonnaise is not horrible for you, but there are said to be better alternatives, so if you get mayo with healthier oil it makes it even better. Furthermore coconut oil contains most saturated fat which raises total cholesterol and LDL. Last but not least, you shouldn’t cut all the sugar from your diet because sugar is naturally packed with fiber, water, and many nutrients. The sugars that have a negative effects are added sugars, not natural sugars.
Article Critique
Ellie Krieger is a columnist on food, but has been proven worthy of this position because she is a dietitian. A dietitian is someone that is an expert in the subject of dietetics. Therefore Ellie Krieger definitely has the credentials and qualifications to write this article. This article was sponsored by The Washington Post, which is one of the most widely distributed newspapers in the United States. It is well renowned and is recognized as one of America’s leading newspapers. I find it to be a well written article. It gives us the misconceptions and is straight to the point with the reasoning, making it easy to understand. For the misconception on cereal, we have read continually that whole grains and unsweetened grains are always better for you and that was her exact evidence when saying it is alright to eat cereals that follow those guidelines. In the misconception regarding Greek yogurt, she points out the obvious, it is high in protein, but she uses nutritional evidence to state that regular yogurt is high in calcium and minerals. On the misconception regarding mayonnaise on a sandwich she states that yes, there are better alternatives, but mayo with a healthier oil, like olive oil, as a base is much better for you. Also, the misconception that coconut oil is a healthy alternative to olive oil is proven wrong by nutritional evidence. It is said that coconut oil is mostly saturated fat, which raised cholesterol and LDL, while olive oil is more unsaturated and heart protective. The last misconception she discusses is to cut all sugar from your diet. She uses evidence that natural sugars supply fiber, water, and an abundance of nutrients. The sugars that you should cut out are added sugars because they have a negative impact and are only added to food to make them taste good. She uses information that is based on scientific evidence to support the misconceptions she has found and does not draw conclusions that seem to be misleading to the readers.