By: Eric Mittenthal, MS   Date: 11/2/10

A couple of weeks ago, my colleagues and I here at the International Food Information Council Foundation had the opportunity to meet with several journalists at a special briefing in New York City to talk about food production and the role of ingredients in food.  As a former journalist myself, meeting with reporters is one of my favorite parts of my job, not only because I get to reconnect with my roots, but also because I get their insight into the latest nutrition and food safety issues and the many projects we work on daily here at the Foundation.  The topics on many of these reporters and editors minds now will likely be what you’re reading about in a few months.  Our role at the International Food Information Council Foundation is to provide journalists with science-based information on food and nutrition topics that will help them as they develop their stories. 

Do You Talk About What Not to Eat?
While I’ve met with journalists in New York a few times before, one question I got multiple times on this most recent trip stood out and surprised me a bit: Do you talk about what not to eat?  The short answer is no. Our briefing in New York focused on how to incorporate a variety of foods into your diet whether fresh or processed.  The science supports consuming a balanced diet – you don’t have to give up foods you enjoy to be healthy; you just need to recognize those foods that are meant as an occasional treat versus those foods that should be staples in your diet.  But the reason why the answer is “no” to that question goes a little deeper.

What the Research Says
The reality is that most people don’t want to hear about what not to eat.  Our 2009 Food and Health survey found that 56 percent of people would prefer advice about what TO eat, while only 13% want to hear about what NOT to eat. Through further focus group testing we’ve learned that telling people what not to eat does get their attention, but is hard to follow in the long term because it takes some of the fun away from food.  People don’t want to feel limited, and hearing what you CAN do gives us a feeling of having more freedom and control over what we eat.  According to Brain Wansink, people make over 200 food decisions each day. Helping people tap into to these food decisions and helping them become a more mindful eater may go a long way in providing a framework that people can work within to build an overall healthful diet, while still including some of their favorite foods. 

Changing Attitudes
Journalists play a very important role in communicating food and health issues and the media is often the top source of information for consumers.  Telling people what not to eat certainly gets people’s attention and  that’s why I got the same question from journalists over and over in my briefings, but over the long term I’m not convinced that’s the best message for their readers.  It’s a topic that I’m glad I got to discuss with those who I met with and I hope to continue the discussion with the same journalists and others in the future.

What do you think about discussing what to eat instead of what not to eat?