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This post is an installment in our 52 Health Hinges series. Remember, “Small hinges swing big doors.”

In the words of the great Jon Stewart, “Bullshit is everywhere.”

Especially when it comes to diet and nutrition.

My goal in writing this year-long series was to share tips that can make you healthier, of course, but I also wanted to do some myth-busting, put new perspectives in front of you, and ultimately – and most importantly – encourage you to think for yourself when it comes to health and nutrition.

“Experts” are everywhere. Bloggers, corporations, and the government all have opinions on what you need to do to be healthy.

How do you know who to trust?

If it sounds ridiculous, as in, “Eat nothing but pineapple for a week;”

If it sounds too good to be true, like, “Lose 20 pounds in a week;”

If it’s promoting a one-size-fits-all approach, like, “Eat anything you want as long as the points don’t exceed x;”

Or if it’s coming from a source that could be making money (or influenced by money/donations), like the government’s new dietary guidelines;

It very well could be bullshit.

So back to my question – how do you know who to trust?

Trust yourself, and learn how to sniff out the bullshit.

Here are three methods that I use to help wade through the seas of advice:

1. Find other sources and compare notes. For example, The Alliance for Natural Health put together an opinion on the validity of the government’s updated dietary guidelines. Read both curiously, rely on what you know to be true, and make your own decisions.
2. Use common sense. You’ve got common sense; don’t let anyone bamboozle you into thinking you don’t get it. In this case, let’s talk about this year’s US News ranking of the “best diets”. Now, I don’t feel that everyone needs to be on the Paleo or Whole 30 diet, but I know that these diets are full of real, unprocessed food. However, in the US News report, these two diets ranked dead last – as in, they’re the worst diets that exist. They ranked behind processed-food diets like Medifast, Jenny Craig, and Slim-Fast. Really? (Said in the tone of Seth Myers and Amy Poehler in their SNL skit that I miss dearly.) Really? A whole-food diet is worse than one where you’re cracking open a shake full of chemicals?
3. And finally, look to your grandparents (or great-grandparents) for guidance. I admit it – I fell victim to the fat-free craze of the 80s and 90s in a big way. I will also admit that I was skeptical when I started hearing that fat was good for you. What finally convinced me? I reflected on what my grandparents used to eat. Fat? Yep – lots of it. Fruits and vegetables from their garden? Check. Everything homemade? You betcha. Drinking soda all day long? Nope – it was a very special treat. Bags and boxes of food? Not a lot. And in the words of my “grandma” Carrie, “First I buy my food. If I have money left over, then I’ll buy my prescriptions.” She lived well into her 90s. Well played, Carrie.

(Disclaimer: To be clear, I’m certainly not advocating that you should stop taking your prescriptions. I’m not a doctor, and I haven’t even met you, so I can’t possibly suggest that. I’m just saying you could apply the above approaches to your prescription drugs and work with your doctor as you see fit.)

After all is said and done, there’s a lot in our current world to complicate nutrition. But it can be simple. Cooking real food at home – food that doesn’t come out of a box or bag – will get you a long way.

With real food, there are no scales, points, label-reading, or calorie counting required, because real food doesn’t come with labels.

I think that journalist and author Michael Pollan said it best:

Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.