Navigating The Sea Of Health Information
This is the time of year where nearly everyone sets goals, goes on diets and starts working out. Or tries to… Which is great…. or at least in theory it should be. If you’re not in a positive headspace surrounding your health or appearance, It can also be a very triggering time, especially if your tired, emotional and not having a great day. These moments can make you even more vulnerable to all the things you don’t need or that might not be the best thing for you.
In order to navigate the sea of health information out there, and better determine what to keep on deck or throw overboard, there is one big question (with some little sub questions) we can ask ourselves before we make decisions on what diets, workouts or supplements tie the knot with.
Ask yourself the following:
Am I using my monkey brain or my critical thinking brain?
Monkey brain logic
Think of your “Monkey brain” as a tongue-in-cheek reference I sometimes like to use for the impulsive, instant stress reaction thinking we feel when triggered. If you don’t like the term, (It is intended for humour and not offence) swap it for something else, eg. Stress brain, trigger reaction or even bird brain (in the form of a seagull if you want to be on theme).
Some examples of how this kind of “logic” or “reasoning” can play out inside our heads (in reference to the product/diet/health trend/workout/advice in question):
Because XYZ hot, fit and/or famous person said to do so, or claims it’s what they do themselves
Because a friend or acquaintance tried it and said it was good
Because it’s “on trend”
Because a celebrity released or endorsed it
Because you’re feeling the impulsive need to do the cleanse or or buy the workout device from home shopping, usually as a quick fix to bypass the discomfort of stable, consistent lifestyle changes.
These alone are not good reasons to base our health decisions off of. These are like rips that suck you out and drown you in a sea of liquid diets, cleanses and skinny teas. That is, if you are not not careful, or don’t know how to look out for and avoid them.
Don’t get me wrong, we should take advice from people who are successful at what we want to succeed at. It’s not a completely unfounded idea to have, it makes sense. People who have an whatever kind of ideal body you’re admiring probably do know a thing or two about hotness and fitness.
There are some well educated celebrities and/or those who work with professionals to create what could be something that’s really good. I’ll just take a moment to fan girl over Elle McPhersons and Miranda Kerr…. but these are two are also women who take care of their health. Beyond the supplements, They very likely eat properly. They probably exercise (Miranda does Pilates). They do the simple things as a lifestyle, on top of the other things.
It’s more of a question of what will work for you. If a teenager with a fast metabolism eats junk food often but is still thin, what would happen if you do the same thing? And even if it does, the next question is, is it sustainable? Will that last though out your life? What is that going to do for your health, especially later on?
Having said that, unless you’ve already deemed it a not credible source, the above reasons shouldn’t always automatically disqualify something either. If it’s made it past the first check point, proceed to the next line of questioning. This is where your other kind of logic steps in like a very handsome (or beautiful, depending on what your into) lifeguard and saves the day.
Monkey brain thinking is part of being human. If you’ve caught yourself having one of these moments, it’s ok. Calm yourself and put on your logic brain “floaties”.
Critical thinking brain logic
Use it to figure out if it’s just an emotional trigger or something that’s actually beneficial to act upon.
Some examples of this can include:
Because said hot, fit and/or famous person has credentials. Perhaps they are formally qualified or sufficiently knowledgeable. Perhaps they’ve explained who xyz product, diet, regime etc is good for and why
The information lines up with your needs. (eg. Your age, gender, activity levels, physiology, imbalances/deficiencies, health conditions or concerns and goals etc)
Because they’re telling you to eat fresh, healthy, natural foods and drink good quality water
Because you’ve read the ingredients. If it’s full of natural, good quality ingredients, it’s a yes for this criteria. If it’s full of preservatives, additives, artificial flavours, sugars……. It should probably be a no. Take it if you want to, just don’t tell yourself it’s a salad.
You know it’s suitable for you (eg. You’ve been told your low in something or you need to start taking something like fish oil or vitamin D)
You’ve checked with a health professional/nutritionist/naturopath etc to be sure, or better still, you take what they prescribe for you based on your symptoms and test results
This step is important if your taking different “multi nutrient” supplements. It’s not good to be taking too much of any vitamin or mineral. Consider the net total across your supplements. Using zinc as an example, if you have three different pills with zinc, what’s the total amount across all three added together. If this exceeds the RDI (recommended daily intake), this can potentially be harmful or cause other problems. Again, this is what the pros are for.
If you take medication, check your new vitamins are suitable and won’t react negatively with what you’ve been prescribed.
In summary, just because an influencer or celebrity endorses or creates a product, doesn’t mean it is automatically bad. It’s also not automatically good either. If it is good, is it right for you?
We just need to investigate a little and ask more, better questions. Consider the following to help you make better choices:
Where is the information coming from? Is it a credible source?
What’s in it ingredient wise?
Is this what I need as an individual, is this right for my unique body, life stage and goals?
Should I check with a professional?
