Fresh Focus Podcast: NNM® Series 12, Episode #70
Host: Sieger Giroux
Title: Health Marketing and Perception

That's right! Today we're going to be focusing on the topic of health-related marketing and, more importantly, how we perceive and engage with this information. Welcome back to Fresh Focus podcast. I'm Sieger, one of your fresh focus team dietitians. Please note this episode will not just be a list of sketchy marketing practices. Instead, this will be more of an exercise in observing the context in which these methods thrive and how to shift our perception in a way that helps to protect ourselves from poor quality, and misleading, information.

Information Environment & Diet Culture

Let's start off with some observations of our diet culture and the information environment that we live in. It goes without saying that we are SURROUNDED by health information. There are tv shows, documentaries, books, movies, magazines, medical staff, articles, research studies, the internet, social media, and even this very podcast and those like it. The internet, especially, has become the general favorite for researching health-related topics. It's easy! I get it! The primary issue is that many of these sources are hit-and-miss in regard to quality. There isn't much distinction between the shoddy, poor-quality info and the more superior, beneficial information that can help to keep us from wasting our time and effort. Nothing is more frustrating than thinking you are doing the right things but then later finding out that you were given bad or incomplete information. It's the wild west out here, and not everyone is Doc Holiday. Not to mention, online advertisement algorithms can further leave you in an information bubble, as they will continue to show you similar products and information for what you may have already searched for. Unfortunately, health is a multibillion-dollar industry, and everyone has something to sell. Also, don't always assume that a book or documentary is going to be a good source, as these can be just as questionable. This is coming from a guy that LOVES health-related books, but I still have to be careful about what I perceive as fact. We still have to be aware that some people may be approaching that topic with a bit of a slant in their views versus an objective look at the information provided. We also have to be mindful of dogma, which is basically something that is perceived as fact but may not be based on adequate grounds. You may ask, "how can this happen?" Unfortunately, repetition can greatly affect our beliefs, and health is an ever-evolving field. Have you ever heard the old adage, "if a lie is repeated enough, it is believed as fact?" Well, sometimes that happens, especially when people aren't willing to look at new information.

It also doesn't help that EVERYONE seems to be an expert (especially if they have a product to sell). Some of those people are being intentionally misleading for the sake of product sales, book purchases, article clicks, and so on and so forth. Others may mean well but may be operating with the misleading assumption that what happened to work for them will work for everyone, even if the process wasn't the safest or healthiest. Or perhaps someone with exceptional genetics decides to sell their 'secret diet and exercise plan' that they swear was the magical reason behind their success. There are always outliers in the data. People that have to do very little work to achieve their desired goal. And I'm harping on these people. More power to them. But they may not be the ones we should be taking health advice from. And I won't even get started on celebrity endorsements, most of which have nothing to do with the products they're peddling (aside from collecting the check). We've all seen the ads and infomercials. There is also the Dunning-Kruger effect. This is a situation in which someone's lack of knowledge and skill in a certain area causes them to overestimate their own competence in that area. Have you ever had someone try to tell you how to do your job that belonged to a completely different department and had no knowledge of your position? Welcome to the daily life of the health professional. Since everyone has a body, and that body requires maintenance in the form of health and lifestyle factors, many people assume that they are automatically qualified to share their thoughts on the matter, ESPECIALLY on social media, the almighty dumpster fire of unsolicited advice and sketchy information. I once overheard a conversation where someone was saying that the other person shouldn't drink so much water or they would never be able to lose weight. Please note this was a 20-something-year-old, not an older adult, with congestive heart failure and fluid retention. Now, this is not an appeal to authority. I am not saying that you can only get info from this podcast, other dietitians, or even top nutrition and exercise scientists. I am saying that you will likely have more luck with these sources, but you should always proceed with some healthy caution. Don't be afraid to ask questions and probe for further explanation. Many questions in health often require an "it depends" type of response, and it's ok to ask for further explanation. Not everything is black and white, good or bad. Sometimes it requires a discussion. Even public health recommendations sometimes have to be simplified for the sake of a clear message, but this doesn't always show us the full picture.

Perception Reset: Cleaning the Lens & Understanding Context
The hierarchy of importance.

Now that we have a bit of backstory in regard to our health environment, let's discuss some of the things that can help us alter our perception, or lens, if you will, in which we view this information. Later, we will discuss some specific tips to keep that lens healthy, robust, and protected, as well as better safeguard our time and effort.

I think the most important thing to discuss first is to really highlight the fact the foundational pillars of health are the ones that we want to be paying the most attention to. These will provide the biggest bang for our buck. People will often get themselves in a situation where there they more-or-less lose the forest for the trees. This is especially true when it comes to nutrition. The athlete that lives on fast food but wonders what supplements to take. The person that gets obsessed with a "superfood" vs. getting a full spread of whole foods that could all be considered "superfoods." My personal favorite is the person that goes on a low-carb or ketogenic diet and doesn't lose weight but also never pays any attention to calories. Again, we want to work smarter, not harder. Unfortunately, some of the information that surrounds us does a way better job of complicating the process than helping it. Back in episode one of the Fresh Focus podcast, Beth covers the basics of what we need to know regarding nutrition. That whole series is a good nutritional primer if you haven't checked it out. If you haven't listened to that episode yet, let me give you a quick recap. In fact, let's boil down the most important aspects of nutrition in one sentence. You ready? The foundation of good nutrition is to get a consistent, balanced intake of real food. That's it. That's the foundation. From there you can discuss things like the healthy plate, hydration, etc., and then cascades to all kinds of topics. But please note as you spread out from the basics and the topics get more specific, they also tend to become less important. It's kind of like, the closer you look, the blurrier it gets. Importance and priority should go hand in hand. The more important something is, and the bigger effect it has, the more we should prioritize that topic. But that's not always how things go. And of course, there will be exceptions to this, but in general, this is what should make up the basis of our lens.

The basic, foundational pillars of health have not changed. The difference is that now we have a choice to improve upon those pillars or succumb to convenience and comfort. It's important to put the foundational items first, as this helps to clarify the way in which we view and receive health-related information. If we understand what makes up that foundational structure of health, we are less influenced by the whirlwind of pseudoscience, unethical marketing, and general dogma. There are hundreds of thousands of specific, health-related topics that can be discussed. We should prioritize the big ticket, highly important topics, as doing this will often take care of those more specific items without having to focus on them. For example, if a person improves their intake quality prior to focusing on quantity and calories, it can make this process much easier. It's a much more efficient approach to try and moderate an intake of filling, nutrient-dense foods rather than hyper-palatable, nutrient-devoid, and minimally satiating foods. The point is the ability to prioritize incoming information can be invaluable. And more often than not, the best information you can get is often the most pragmatic, reasonable, and, let's face it, boring information that you can receive. That's why it can be hard to sell products based on the basics and why we see so many ads based on largely unimportant topics. We have to be careful not to get caught up in the flashy headlines and extravagant promises.

Excepting Responsibility as The Receiver

The bottom line is that we should continue to try and hold people accountable for their actions and any unethical delivery of information. Still, we also have to be cautious, objective, and intentional with the way that we view these topics. We have to accept responsibility as the receiver of information. We can't assume that everyone has our best interest at heart, as much as we wish we could. It's easy to get caught up in the claims. It's in our nature to be drawn to these things. We naturally look for an easier path. I think it's important to note, however, that I don't necessarily believe that it's just out of laziness. I think we all try to pursue a path that exemplifies the idea of working smarter, not harder. We are trying to make the best use of our time. But we must do our due diligence to vette our sources appropriately. IF we do not feel comfortable in doing so, then we must reach out to a respected expert in that field. Let's not even call them an expert. Let's just call them experienced. There is always more to learn, and there are always ideas and concepts that have to be re-evaluated. "The more you learn, the more you realize you don't know." And it's ok not to feel like you have any proper knowledge of things like nutrition and exercise. That's why there are DIFFERENT career paths for people. It's impossible to be knowledgeable in all of the areas that we would love to be knowledgeable in. There is only so much time in the day. So don't be afraid to look for a trusted source of information.

Being realistic means that you are aware that your time is sacred and must be protected. We have significant others, kids, friends and family, jobs, hobbies, life goals, etc. It's ok to delegate by collecting info from a trusted source rather than having to devote time away from what's important. It's also to ok to get a second opinion! In fields like science and epidemiology, recommendations from quality research are dependent upon the totality of information and data. That just means that multiple sources of information need to come to a similar conclusion before we consider acting on that information. So if someone tells you something that you are unsure of, look it up, ask another professional, or ask that person to give a more detailed explanation of their views.

Tips for the Health-Conscious Consumer

To wrap this up, I want to give some quick tips to help keep us protected within the whirlwind of information that we live in.

1. Use caution: Take everything with a grain of salt. Pun intended. You can find a research study, book, documentary, magazine article, etc., that will confirm ANY belief that we wish to confirm, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's true. Again, research requires multiple sources of data to come to an agreement. So don't just take advice from the loudest person in the room, especially if they don't have any background or experience in the field.
2. Context: Zoom out. Be objective. Don't lose the forest for the trees. You can't put the puzzle together if you never saw the picture. Understand that health is a combination of good choices, not the obsession over one item or topic.
3. Objectivity: Play devil's advocate. Look at both sides. We don't want to get so blinded by our own beliefs that we refuse to observe additional information. Confirmation bias is the act of seeking information that only confirms your views. It's like doing research in an echo chamber. We should all be constantly learning and investing into our database of wisdom.
4. Patience: Take your time. Build your foundation. Don't be hasty and reckless. Don't reach for those quick, shiny solutions. If you make a mistake, learn from it, and move on. It's only a big deal to us because WE were the ones that made a mistake. We benefit from both success AND failures because both of these teach us how to pursue health in a way that works for us and our individual lifestyles.
5. Consistency: Be consistently good, not occasionally perfect. We want to learn ways to improve our consistency, but there will always be some ebb and flow to our progress. If we can be mentally prepared for that, the journey becomes a lot easier.
6. Realistic: Try not to be swayed by the siren song of ridiculous claims. We must try to be level-headed as much as we can be. Focus on the basics, get specific when needed, but be wary of anything that seems too good to be true.