Blog Post

Internet is Awesome BUT….

  • By silviub
  • 07 Jun, 2014
Free Information and Frustration Free information is absolutely awesome. However, it has become very difficult to differentiate between legitimate information and opinion.  The internet is full of information that allows us to better ourselves, and be learners for life.  I…
Free Information and Frustration
Part of using free information online is to know how to receive it, and looking at the source.  We are bombarded with wild claims about products, diets, and exercise routines that are simply untrue.  These people sell a subpar product because these products have great marketing potential.  These products provide the illusion of a short cut to health and weight loss, and should be avoided.  We also see products or ideas that come out that seem really interesting and cool, and they get publicity, so it makes people think that they must be true.
The other night, I was coaching a Fundamentals class, and after our nutrition talk, I was asked a question about eating according to your blood type.  I honestly never heard of this so I said I’d look into it.  When I did some research, I found that this diet was on Dr. Oz, a popular health show that I choose not to watch, since it’s full of silly information.  One episode I saw had Carmen Diaz as the health expert telling everyone that the secret to health is simply chugging water.  She’s not wrong but my 4 year old could have told you that water is essential. Moving on, this diet based on blood type argues that if you’re a Type O, you should use more of a Paleo approach; Type A, heavy on carbs, legumes and veggies; Type B, certain meats, veggies, no corn and low fat dairy; and Type AB, eat seafood, tofu, veggies, and avoid smoking and drinking coffee and alcohol. When I saw this I burst out in laughter.  What a bunch of crap.  Although we are created to be individuals, the human body responds to food in a consistent way.  We may have intolerances, and allergies, but those I believe are caused by the lack of quality nutrition.
After I got over laughing at this claim, I continued my research to see if I can find a study that supports this. Studies are often flawed, or have one finding while the media and popular culture interpret another.  I found neither.  There is NO study that supports this claim.  So how did this become popular? It simply sounds cool, and takes the onus off the individual.  “It’s not my fault I’m fat, it’s my blood type. I didn’t know I wasn’t supposed to eat a bag of chips and drink 2L of pop everyday. Those were organic chips.” We always try to justify our negative actions, and when “science” backs us up, we feel good about it.  This needs to stop!
So, avoid corrupted information, whether it’s nutritional info, or training info.  I won’t discuss my frustration with people who train others, charge them a premium, and don’t know what the hell they’re doing.  That’ll have to wait another day.  It’s time for breakfast so I’m going to need some bacon and whole eggs, with some avocado and a coffee now, see ya.
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