Dear personal trainers,

I am begging you to please stop giving your clients nutrition advice and meal plans. Unless you also have a degree in nutrition you are often causing more harm than good.

As a dietitian, I know my scope of practice. I have never provided clients with exercise advice or training routines. This, despite the fact that I feel like I know a fair bit about exercise and fitness. I realise that there are others, such as yourselves, who are far more qualified to provide that expertise.

It’s hard enough to combat the nutrition misinformation provided by the media, celebrities, and the general populace, without having to deal with misinformation provided by other healthcare professionals.

Please stop telling your clients that sweet potatoes are a “super food” and “regular” potatoes are nutritional no-noes. Please stop telling your clients that carbs are the food of the devil and that protein shakes are suitable for everyone. The diet you follow for a fitness competition is not actually healthy and is not advisable for the general population. Please stop telling your clients to eat tuna at every meal as part of a detox diet. Besides the fact that there is no such thing as a detox diet, tuna, with its mercury content is not going to do anything to aid in detoxification. Just stop.

Sincerely,

Diana Chard, RD