I go to a local gym twice a week to improve my muscle strength. The truth is I really don’t like the gym, but my trainer is an old friend from high school, and I enjoy chatting with her while I work. This gym is a “private” one, where only independent trainers can bring clients, and pay the owner a percentage of their income for use of the facility.
This owner fancies himself to be a “word smith”, and regularly posts advice and sayings for his clients. Some of his stuff is annoying, silly, and much of it is just plain wrong. Recently he posted a list of “fat burning foods”, which really bothered me. As a Registered Dietitian, I can tell you there’s no such thing, and posting such misinformation is so wrong I don’t know where to begin. Another quote he posted is “One bad meal won’t make you fat, and one good meal won’t make you skinny.” I feel strongly that we shouldn’t be talking about “bad” or “good” foods or about being “skinny”.
So, I wrote to this guy and told him what I think. I make it my personal and professional mission to stop/correct nutrition and health misinformation. I told him what I objected to, and of course, he had all sorts of reasons for posting this stuff. I sent the following alternative messages he could post. (BTW, I should have charged him for this!). Let’s see if he uses any of them!
- “Love your body. Eat food when you ‘re hungry, eat what you REALLY want, and stop when you’re full”.
- “Love your body; give it whole, fresh, minimally processed foods and exercise that makes you feel good.”
- “Food isn’t ‘healthy’ or ‘unhealthy’. It’s a matter of balance, moderation and variety in your choice of foods.”
- “There are no ‘super foods’. Adding ‘super’ foods to an unhealthy diet doesn’t fix anything!”
- “Eat a balance of foods including lean protein, fruits, veggies, low fat dairy, nuts and seeds, whole grains and beans.”
And my personal favorite, from Michael Pollan:
“Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”
See more of Michael Pollan’s work here: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/28/magazine/28nutritionism.t.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
I know these aren’t as sexy and “funny” as the ones this trainer/gym owner posted, but they are true, and might actually make people think.
Addendum: At the gym today, the first of my suggested quotes was posted on the white board. Yay!
Photo courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/slgc/
