Who Is Credible?
Information on How to Know Whether a Source or Individual Is a Reliable Authority on Health and Nutrition
The number of the elderly population with chronic diseases increases each in the United States of America. As such, there is a need for a proper diet in the prevention of chronic diseases. According to the information found in nutritionfacts.org, Americans need to watch out on four things to stay healthy. One of the items on the list of four is avoiding smoking. Again, in nutritionfacts.org (which is a credible resource), Americans should avoid being obese and should physically practise at least thirty minutes each day (Gate, P.10). Finally, the resource emphasizes that Americans should practice healthy eating habits. According to the resource, healthy eating habits characterize increased consumption of vegetables and fruits and less consumption of meat. Some of the common chronic illnesses include asthma, diabetes, cancer, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Multiple aspects characterize a credible nutrition resource. Many reliable sources belong to educational institutes, government agencies or professional organizations and their web addresses end with .org, .edu, or .gov. Also, reading on the ‘about’ section of any source offers in-depth information on the reliability of the source. Nutritional sources that seek to provide information are mostly more reliable than those intended to sell something. Further, looking for evidence can prove whether a source is credible or not. Credible sources provide evidence that the information provided is acquired from scientific research and not an individual’s opinion (Gate, P.10). Again, checking on the date the information was published, and its recent updates can be helpful. Health information changes daily and as such should be regularly updated. Finally, it is always good to visit a health professional for more detailed information on health and nutrition. Excess reliance on online health information can, at times, be misleading.
Work Cited
For more information on nutrition, check: https://nutritionfacts.org/topics/standard-american-diet/
Gate, By Smombie. “Big Pharma, Big Tobacco, Big Wireless: What’s in Common?.” Health 16, (2017): 10.
To know on the credibility of nutritionfacts.org, check https://nutritionfacts.org/about/.