At first there wasn’t enough information about the quality and quantity of the foods we were eating. Certainly not enough research or evidence to substantiate the claims being made. Now it seems as though the pendulum has swung completely the other way and there is information by the bucket load. This information can be so conflicting in parts that it’s become harder deciding what’s good and what’s bad; what to ignore and what to take seriously.

Like eggs for example. Do you eat eggs? The yolk as well as the whites? Some throw the yolk away, worried that it’s too high in cholesterol and saturated fat both unhelpful whilst trying to maintain a tip top waistline. Some only eat the whites thinking that the protein will help make them bigger and stronger. Others say breaking an egg up into two parts affects the significant vitamin and mineral content that it offers. The egg is a great source of all the B vitamins, in particular vitamins B12 and B2 (riboflavin) and a useful source of folate (helpful for pregnant women or wanna be mums) It is also an excellent source of iodine, required to make the thyroid hormone, and phosphorus, required for bone health, a source of selenium, an important antioxidant and provides some zinc, important for wound healing, growth and fighting infection. So would you consider it bad for containing saturated fat or good for saving you from taking your daily multivitamin tablet?

What about apples and peaches and carrots and beans? Do you eat the skin and scoff the lot, or meticulously remove everything on the outside? The skin contains the highest portion of fibre. Fibre is reported to help control weight and guard against certain cancers – colon cancer in particular. You would therefore think that eating an apple in all its glory would be the better option. But in this day and age, agrichemicals are a massive part of the fruit and vegetable growing industry. Herbicides and pesticides are sprayed onto crops to keep weeds and insects at bay. This helps to increase crop yields and therefore more can be sold and more money can be earned. Without peeling fruit and vegetables or at the very least scrubbing them with even more chemicals, we are apparently opening up our temples to carcinogens and free-radicals both of which speed up the onset of cancer. If I were your client, what advice would you give me?

This list of food dichotomy is growing longer and longer. More recently chocolate was added; high in fat and sugar but apparently eating it releases endorphins that make you feel happy. It also contains antioxidants and is reported to help lower cholesterol. So do I eat it or not?

Tuna is low in fat and high in protein – somewhat of a super food in some fraternities. But the tinned variety can be very high in salt which can lead to high blood pressure and other cardiovascular complications. Trace elements of mercury have also been linked to tuna and other varieties of fish, resulting in the Food Standard Australia New Zealand organization having to release a statement on safe consumption. Here’s a link to their website if you’re keen to read more http://www.foodstandards.govt.nz/).

Red wine can reduce cholesterol and help to lower blood pressure, which for me suggests that I should be regularly tucking into my favourite grape. But if I over do it, I could be encouraging sclerosis of the liver. Where is the fine line? Do you chance it and enjoy it or avoid it and miss out?

And so it goes on and sifting through the food hype to find the truth could get all too time consuming, but when your clients, or your family and friends ask you questions about the best way to improve their diet, what do you say? Do you throw everything you know at them or give them the truth as you see it, hoping that you’ve interpreted it correctly?