People often talk about olive oil and the massive health benefits of this oil when consumed as part of a healthy diet. But we rarely hear about the olives themselves. Are olives also as healthy as the oil? Yes, and no.

I encounter nutrition misinformation every day, clearing up nutrition untruths, updates, and points of fact to clients and students.

And I also must remind people that it is NOT their role, nor mine, to shame anyone for their food choices.

It isn't anyone's business to tell someone else they should not drink diet soda. If someone asks me in a professional context, I answer truthfully. But I don't randomly tell people my thoughts.

It isn't anyone's business to tell people that they should choose organically grown foods, or they will get cancer. First, that is just a dumb thing to say, and two, that isn't true.

I do want to emphasize that we are often harder on ourselves.

People come to me to learn how to help and improve their health. I work with people on how food, nutrition, and behavior modification can do this and how it applies to their lives.

These things are never a one-size-fits-all approach. Ever.

I can have a framework for people. I can make a “blueprint,” – but it is never the same for everyone because we are all different.

And with weight loss, when that is their goal or what they want, we discuss this more.

The most magical number that comes up the most is TEN. The first ten pounds, the last ten pounds, the final ten pounds, another ten pounds.

The easiest and the hardest are ten pounds.

What is it about these ten pounds?

This question isn’t a judgment. It is an observation.

When it comes to hormones in our food, there is a LOT of misinformation.

I’ve heard people state as fact (even though it is not) that kids are going through puberty at an earlier age now (compared to past generations) because of the “hormones in milk.” Never mind that hormones have always been in milk. Always.

People will say that chickens are “pumped full of hormones,” so they are bigger now than in past generations. They aren’t.

While on the other hand, I often get how to eat to “balance hormones.”

Chicken and eggs have a lot of similar labels that are misleading. Usually, the information is entirely accurate but still misleading.

Front of the package nutrition labels are often like this. I did a series on Deconstructing Food Labels in January 2022 in which I covered Tricky Front of the Package Claims and covered misleading yet valid claims.

Like eggs, chicken has similar claims such as free-range, no antibiotics – ever, natural, no hormones, no steroids, vegetarian-fed, non-GMO, gluten-free, minimally processed, etc. It is exhausting sometimes.

Are there some you should pay attention to and others you can ignore? Totally.

Eggs have some of the more misleading labels you may find on the market.

When I say misleading, they tell the truth – but they are not always telling the whole truth.

Some things you may see on the egg cartons when promoting eggs are all-natural, free-range, no hormones or no added hormones, no antibiotics, cage-free, and free-range. Oh, and there is an idea that brown eggs are healthier than white eggs.

But what most people don’t realize is that pretty much all these labels can be on any carton of eggs. These terms don’t have much meaning, and here is why.

Many people still remember when eggs were a diet "disaster" long ago. Then, the message was we should avoid or limit eggs because they contain so much cholesterol and are bad for your heart. We now know that demonizing eggs was a gross error, and they have significant benefits to our overall health, providing several essential nutrients. I bring this up because to this day – in the spring of 2022 – I still have people who ask me about eggs.

People do seem to know about omega-3 fatty acids. I find people know they need them, but that is about it. They also know that they are in salmon, which is true, but beyond that? Crickets. This knowledge may be partly because we health professionals talk about omega-3 and eating salmon but never go much past that. So here is the mini-nutrition lesson for today about omega-3 fats.

Fat is an essential nutrient – we do need it in the diet. And there are two more specific kinds that we need to include regularly: omega-3 fatty acids and omega-6 fatty acids. Many people know omega-3 fatty acids though they may not know the details. However, I find that people either haven’t even heard of omega-6 fats or think we need to avoid them. Omega-6 fatty acids are essential fat since we need to get them from the diet. But why don’t we hear much about this one?

So many people will talk about antibiotics in food. They will complain about antibiotics in some types of milk, egg, chicken, and meats. Now – let’s talk antibiotics. They are used to treat bacterial infections, not viruses in humans and other animals. But are there antibiotics and antibiotic residues in your food? Not likely.

While the definition of “clean” eating varies by the person saying the phrase, the one thing that often comes up when I ask people their interpretation of clean eating is “I wash my fruits and veggie.” Good choice.

Another thing that people will bring up is the infamous Dirty Dozen list. This “dirty dozen” is the list of foods that the Environmental Working Group (EWG) comes up with that suggest we should “always” buy organic.

While there are many things we can do to help the environment – drive less, encourage reusable bags (or no bags), and try to use less energy overall, what are things we can do to help the environment with our food choices? Here are five things you can do to start now.

When something new comes along, people will suddenly label it as healthy food when this just isn’t true.

Take plant-based “meats” as an example.

Why people gravitate to these varies. Perhaps they want to eat less meat or no meat, for humanitarian reasons, environmental reasons, or religious beliefs. I get that. Somehow, we still have to make food taste like meat that isn’t meat.

But when people start spouting about it being healthier or less processed? Hard no.

What Foods Are GMO? Not as many as you think.

People often refer to certain foods as “GMO” foods and others as “non-GMO foods.” Often when people refer to some of these non-GMO foods, I do have to roll my eyes (internally) because the food they are referring to is the non-GMO fact a GMO version does not exist.

Is Going Vegan Healthier? People often tell me the eat vegan because it is healthier. Many people assume that just because they are not eating animal-based foods, it automatically makes their diet better or healthier. Not necessarily.

It is estimated that a family of four loses $1,500 in uneaten food each year (in the United States). And much of this food waste is food purchased for preparation and consumption but not.

What does this mean?

It is not the leftovers you put in a container to eat later and forget. That is food waste, but not the majority of it.

It is not the food left on the plate. As much as our parents or grandparents, and even us as parents, tell the kids to clean their plates, this isn’t a significant contributor to food waste.

The concern and issue here are that all this food is going to the landfill which contributes to methane greenhouse gas.

Changes happen all the time, but in some cases, people resist them or give pushback when these changes occur. It is human nature to resist change, but consider there are many things that are constantly changing in our lives. And most of the time we accept it.

What is the “perfect” diet? It is the diet that would promote weight loss, eliminate heart disease, eliminate all risk of cancers, eliminate the risk of diabetes, and balance hormones. Does this exist?

Why does the number on a scale bother people so much? Why do some people put a lot of value on that number? Because they are acculturated to do so? Or do they believe their value is connected to it? The number on the scale measures the mass of something or someone here on Earth. But it means the world to so many people. But this isn’t as important a number as people think it is. What numbers are important?

People will often refer to “vitamin B” which is not an accurate statement. There are eight B vitamins all with different names, roles, and recommendations. And, most don’t need supplementing if you have a varied diet. Learn more about the different ones and which might need supplementing.