Are We Cautious Enough?

Nowadays, the most of us see the internet as the easiest way to obtain health related information we acquire. But did any of us realize how reliable are the information that we access online? Aren’t we overwhelmed with misleading messages?

Therefore today, I will be showing you an example of a website that lacks credibility so that you will be able to identify them along the road. One of the sites I have found is called How to Lose Weight Fast. This webpage is basically promoting the diet program instead of really teaching the readers how to reach and maintain a healthy weight. As you can see from the first screen shot, what comes into our sight at first is the strong persuasion in joining the diet program. I have used circles to emphasize the most eye-catching details that are obviously directing us towards the program. And this is a potential bias that makes it less credible even if the rest of the website makes complete sense. They are not focusing on gaining financially by increasing the stream clicks of the useful information they provide, but rather on the number of people who have been attracted to the diet program.

As we scroll down the page, it starts to talk about three principals that enhance fast weight loss. Under the first principal, it says that we should completely stop ourselves from eating any junk food. However, this is not exactly right because healthy eating is all about balance, we can get ourselves off healthy alarms once in a while as long as we eat healthy 80-90% of the time. Even though we let ourselves consume food that are high in fat, carbohydrates, and calories, we can balance them out with eating other healthier food and a moderate amount of physical activities. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011) This is rather recommended because we are likely to keep it up and incorporate it into our lifestyle instead of just losing weight in the short term. 

To read further, it encourages us to keep exercise for 30 minutes every day. However, everyone has busy schedules and this may become a stressor and cause distress. Instead of going to the gym, we can try simpler ways to be physically active. For instance, we can take the stairs instead of the elevator; take a walk once a day; walk to nearby places rather than driving there; spend less time in front of televisions and computers. (Health Canada, 2011)

Moreover, this article does not have any references provided; nor is the author of the passage mentioned anywhere on the website, which once again lowers the credibility of the site.

Hopefully after this demonstration, you can now filter through the information and make better informed decisions. Well, having spent enough time at the desk writing my blog, I'd better off for a walk to keep myself in shape. Cheers.

References:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2011, August 17). Healthy Weight- it’s not a diet, it’s a lifestyle. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/healthy_eating/

Health Canada (2011, March 07). Physical Activity, What Can You Do. Retrieved from http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hl-vs/physactiv/index-eng.php