Zoe says: 'Dietitian' is a title that is protected by law in the UK, and is currently the only title that guarantees nutrition training to above degree-level, and adherance to a respected code of conduct. All dietitians have studied nutrition to degree or post graduate level and have additionally undertaken 9 months assessed training in the NHS.  This additional training enables dietitians to advise on diet as a treatment in a wide range of serious medical conditions.  They are then eligible to register with the Health Professions Council (HPC), who require their members to give advice that is impartial, safe and based on the best evidence available, and to keep up to date professionally.  The HPC not only regulates dietitians, but also 12 other health professions, including physiotherapists and paramedics.

Zoe said: The first thing I would want to find out about is the experience and qualifications of whoever wrote the information - by reading the  'About us' page of a website. From this information you can then draw your own conclusions as to whether you trust their expertise.  These are other particular things that I would look out for that would make me question the quality of information:

• Selling you costly vitamins, minerals and other supplements.
   
• Stating that everyone should take some vitamins, minerals or other supplements - some people should, but in my opinion, and the opinion of the major nutrition bodies in the world, our bodies are generally designed to get adequate nutrition from natural sources - i.e. food.
    
• Recommending or selling hair analysis to determine the body's nutritional state - this isn't reliable.
  
  
• Selling electrical, blood or other body fluid tests for allergies and intolerances - there are some useful blood and skin tests carried out by medical consultants for immediate, serious food reactions, but those suggested for low level intolerances vary from useless to unreliable. 
  
  
• Recommending that young children are put on restrictive diets without monitoring and support from a paediatric doctor or dietitian.
  
  
• Claiming their diets cause weight loss faster than 2lb or 1kg per week, without medical or dietitian supervision.
  
  
• Claiming that their diet causes weight loss from particular parts of your body.

This website, by the way, conforms with the Health on the Net Code of Conduct - which means that they have confirmed, amongst other things, that it is written by a legitimate health professional. 

NB Advertising of nutrition and health products and services is regulated in the UK by the Advertising Standards Agency. Read the regulations here, and make a complaint against any adverts you feel break these standards here.

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