I just watched a popular daytime talk show (hint, starts with “O”) on my DVR and can’t resist the urge to scream.  Today’s topic was childhood obesity and in addition to the regularly appearing doctor, and the host herself, a popular food expert also gave commentary and supposed insight to the issues.  I’ve seen this food expert on other media sources and perused his books in the bookstores and I’ve got HUGE issues with this guy.  He tells people to “eat this” type of food over “that” type of food.  The problem is that he doesn’t give the audience/viewer/reader enough information before he asks them to guess which food is better.  For example, he offered the choice between a multi-grain bagel with low fat cream cheese or a doughnut.  Which should we choose?  Well, according to “Mr. Expert,” the doughnut is healthier.  Okay, sure, come talk to me in a month after you’ve chosen that option for breakfast everyday and gained 10 pounds.  I can sell you a great personal training package.  Geesh.  Are you kidding me?  That’s such poor dissemination of information!  According to him, the reason you should pick the doughnut over the multi-grain bagel is calories.  He made that decision by choosing a HUGE bagel over a SMALL doughnut at a popular fast food doughnut bakery.  Sure, calorie wise the doughnut is lower.  However, it is higher in saturated fat and lower in nutrients.  Let’s step into a grocery store and compare the two.  I can buy a multi-grain (and whole grain – very important, read my next blog) bagel, low fat cream cheese, and have a perfect breakfast.  For less than 300 calories each morning I can have lots of fiber, some good carbs, and a breakfast that’s going to leave me full for a few hours if I go with the bagel option.  Now let’s look at the doughnut.  I can feel my arteries clogging as I read the nutrition information.  It’s filled with saturated fat, empty calories, and I’m going to be hungry in no time since my body won’t get any real nutrition in this supposedly better choice.  Please note, however, that even in my example the bagel has nearly 100 more calories than the doughnut.   Calories don’t make food healthy or unhealthy, nutrients do.  My point is this:  this show was designed to help teens decide which foods were better choices and help them lead healthier lifestyles.  Yet, as one teen even stated aloud, it left them more confused than they were before.  Great tv.  Bad education.  If this food expert markets himself as someone who is trying to educate people to live healthy lifestyles, he shouldn’t tease them with tricks just to get a little shock value and boost his own success, he should give them real knowledge and the information they need to truly make educated choices themselves.