We are living in the XXI century where information is of great relevance and is within our reach all the time. And although it would seem to be something very positive we can suffer from intoxication with it, because the excess of information is the evil of our days, also in health issues.

Excess information misinforms and confuses

Although it seems contradictory, having so much information constantly does not serve to instruct us but can misinform and confuse us, making its permanent presence and easy access detrimental.

In fact, the 12th annual Food and Health Survey of the International Food Information Council Foundation notes that Americans are overwhelmed by contradictory food and nutrition information and despite being highly literate about it, they are more confused than ever.

78% of the respondents indicate that they find a lot of contradictory information about what to eat and avoid and more than half of the total of those evaluated said that this is the cause of their doubts when making dietary decisions.

The reality is that just turn on the computer and use a search engine we can have nutritional information of all kinds, finding reliable sources and not so much, as well as obsolete and current studies that analyzed quickly or without paying attention to the details can provide erroneous information.

Food changes its reputation as the years go by, marketing around them (even using flashy headlines on food) can create a false idea about the properties of the ingredients we use . And it can also change the information we receive from one professional to another as well as we can be influenced by the experiences or false beliefs of family and friends.

This is confirmed by the aforementioned survey that showed that 77% of Americans depend on friends and family at least a little for nutrition and food safety information, but only 29% have a real and high confidence in the family or friends as sources of information.

Thus, we receive so much information and so contradictory that we culminate intoxicated with it in such a way that its presence at our reach does not serve anything but generates the opposite effect, because we do not know if we trust what we read, if we can trust the professional which says exactly the opposite of what our friend or grandmother says we should do, or because we are guided by old beliefs that today may have changed.

The excess of information does not help and the only weapon that we as consumers should use are food labels , which are incomprehensible and confusing for many consumers or provide erroneous or scant information about the products that we add to our diet.

Where can I find clarity?

If you are one more that is intoxicated by so much information these days and confused about what is healthy and what is not, maybe it is time to start looking for clarity in food issues.

The first thing you should know is which professional you can trust and who you can not trust , as well as not letting yourself be guided by the perceptions and experiences of others , because each person is different and even your brother or another relative can not get the same effect. a food as well do not have the same needs.

On the other hand, we must look very carefully at the sources consulted and read carefully the studies, since many are financed by the food industry and may give rise to biased information, while we must also remember that when an association is concluded we do not talk about causality .

Another resource that can provide clarity on issues of nutrition and food is to learn to read nutritional labels without being guided by the legends of packaging, colors or advertising and other marketing strategies.

Finally, avoid excess information is something that we should try not to intoxicate or confuse with too much data that of course, can be contradictory and very different from each other.