Are you frustrated by the constant ups and downs of nutrition and diet headlines? Do you wish you could just cut through all of the hype and just find the truth? You can! Join us to discover how scientific literature can go viral and what information can get lost in the process of presenting a study to the public. We give you tools, tips and resources to help you read science news with a critical eye in order to sort the wheat from the chaff.
This free, one-hour webinar has been approved for one CPE credit for Registered Dietitians and Dietetic Technicians, Registered. Meets learning codes 1090, 1130, 1140, and 9020. You will:
- Investigate where people are obtaining their health information and how this impacts their knowledge base
- Learn about the shortcomings of “sound-bite” based nutrition and health reports
- Discuss the impact of “noise” in media headlines on the health field
- Learn how to critically “read between” the headlines
- Be shown how to objectively read a study
- Gain resources on trusted sites (and information about why they should be trusted)
Resources
- Cart to Kitchen: Slicing into Moms’ Food Decisions
- Nat’l Academy of Sciences: Gap between Science and the Media revisited: Scientists as public communicators
- Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Practice Paper: Communicating Accurate Food and Nutrition Information
- Link to Food Policy Article: Effects of the Guiding Stars Program on purchases of ready-to-eat cereals with different nutritional attributes
- Evaluating Internet Health Information (consumer tutorial from the National Library of Medicine)
- FDA Food Labeling Guide
- Kyle Hill on Question to Ask When Evaluating Science Research
- IFIC Backgrounder: Understanding and Interpreting Scientific Studies
Your Hosts

Allison uses her background as a food and nutrition expert to help others adopt healthier living. Frequently asked to contribute to nutrition, wellness and family life blogs and publications. She also frequently speaks to community groups and leads seminars on nutrition, balanced diet and disease prevention. As Guiding Stars’ Consulting Dietitian, Allison supports Guiding Stars partners in using the Guiding Stars nutritional algorithm to educate the communities they serve.
Her thoughts on nutrition can be also found in her Guiding Stars health and wellness blog. Allison also serves as a Retail Dietitian for Hannaford Supermarket, a Guiding Stars retail partner. Her professional journey also includes maintaining a private practice, which emphasizes a non-diet approach and increasing mindful eating as the key to making better food choices and healthy living. She lives in Connecticut with her husband, two children, and her dog Josie.

Kitty is a member of the Guiding Stars Scientific Advisory Panel, a panel of experts in the fields of nutrition and public health, formed to develop a set of criteria which resulted in the design of a now patented algorithm used to analyze food products. Kitty is also a food and nutrition communications expert and the owner of NutriComm Inc., a marketing and communications company that services food manufacturers, trade groups and public relations firms nationwide.
Previously on the editorial staff at Good Housekeeping magazine, she has written many magazine articles and contributes regularly to a variety of publications and websites, including the Guiding Stars blog. Kitty is also the co-author of several cookbooks. A member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and several of the association’s practice groups, she served two terms of service as the president of the Maine Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Kitty is also an adjunct instructor in the nutrition department at Southern Maine Community College. A mother to two young adults, she resides in Lisbon, Maine with her husband.