It seems like every week we hear of a new nutrition myth, a novel, cure-all diet, or a trending super food (or its opposite: the food we should now fear!). As Registered Dietitians and nutrition researchers at the Laurie M. Tisch Center for Food, Education and Policy, we’re here to cut through the noise.

Welcome to Tischbusters - where we dive into the ever-changing world of nutrition myths, work to separate fact from fiction, and bring you some clarity in the often confusing world of dietary advice! 

Through Tischbusters, we critically examine popular trends, misconceptions, and fads that pervade our social media feeds and work their way into our dinner conversations. By leveraging the most critical and recent food and nutrition research, we aim to provide evidence-based insights that help to empower you to make the most informed decision about your health. Each Tischbuster will tackle a different myth, work to debunk any muddy science, and explore the nuances that are often (purposefully) overlooked. 

Some hot topics we plan on discussing in the future include: 

• The Ketogenic Diet: Does it really work for weight loss and disease management?
• Intermittent Fasting: Is it the miracle weight loss diet it’s often made out to be?
• Ultra-Processed Foods: What, exactly, is an “ultra-processed food”? 
• Food Labels: What do terms like "natural" and "pasture-raised" really mean? 

And this is just the start! We believe that exploring these topics from soup to nuts is crucial to give you the most objective information on which to base your food and nutrition-related decisions. 

If there’s a nutrition myth you’ve always wanted to ask an expert, now’s the chance! Please send us an email at tischfoodcenter@tc.columbia.edu with any suggestions and we just might feature it in an upcoming post. 

Stay tuned for our first official myth-busting article and let’s cut through the clutter, together!