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This information was excerpted from Julie Garden-Robinson's weekly Prairie Fare article
Like many people, I spend most of my days connected to technology in some way.
When I log into my Facebook or Twitter account, I often see false information spread. Most recently, I saw some alarming information about home canning practices.
As we approach the end of 2022, I have noted many miraculous weight-loss products appearing as ads on social media and even as unwanted texts on my phone.
“A cup of this will get rid of your belly fat,” according to a text on my personal cell phone.
That was a little insulting. What do they know about the state of my waistline? How did they get my phone number anyway?
We have enormous amounts of information available to us online, and not all of it is trustworthy. A search for a particular health-related topic may result in thousands of "hits." Sometimes, the less science-based sources pop up sooner.
Deciphering trustworthy information from quackery can be difficult. The URL suffix gives an indication of the reliability and source of the information. For example, ".gov" is used by many government agencies and ".edu" is used by many educational institutions. Websites with a ".com" suffix sometimes are reliable organizational sites, and sometimes they are purely commercial.
Ask these questions as you explore nutrition, food safety and health information:
- Who is the author?
- What are his or her credentials? Keep in mind that you can buy credentials, so you may want to do some further exploration.
- Is a credible sponsoring institution identified?
- What is the purpose of the information? Is the site promoting or selling a particular product?
- Is the information based on scientific research or opinion?
- Is a date listed? How current is the information?
- Does the information have links to other sources of information? This sometimes provides a clue to reliability but not always. Anyone can link to another organization’s website.
- Are the facts documented with sound scientific references? Or is the information solely based on personal testimonials?
- Does an editorial board oversee the content?
- Is the information well-written in terms of grammar and spelling? What is the tone of the writing? Does it take a balanced approach?
NDSU Extension created a survey to help them develop more educational tools on pulse-related foods and food safety. If you'd like to participate in the two-part (approximately 15 minute) survey, click here. You could get a prize!
Julie Garden-Robinson, Ph.D., R.D., L.R.D., is a North Dakota State University Extension food and nutrition specialist and professor in the Department of Health, Nutrition and Exercise Sciences. Follow her on Twitter @jgardenrobinson