Chances are if you watched the news or listened to the radio in the past couple of days you’ve been bombarded with information about how potentially harmful trans fats can be. I even discussed the fact that New York restaurants may put a ban on trans fats last week.

What I’ve noticed is that the media is taking this topic area out of hand. It seems whenever a new study or tidbit of information comes out we are overwhelmed with topic overload.

It’s only been in the past couple of years that the topics of nutrition and health have become hot topics and everyone has jumped on the band wagon. However, I sometimes feel this information overload really starts to water down the information and the key messages. A study that was once attention-grabbing or unique begins to get washed out when every radio station and newscaster discusses it.

There’s even a website that’s strictly devoted to information about trans fats, called bantransfats.com. They are the organization that sued Kraft in 2003 to eliminate trans fats in their Oreo cookies and also sued McDonald’s in 2003 for misinforming their consumers about the cooking oil they were using.

It’s great that the media is concentrating on nutrition and healthier eating habits. It just seems that they seem to put all their focus on one study or finding and that seems to become the obsession. A more balanced approach to nutrition is important. Yes, it’s critical that individuals take responsibility for their own health and reduce the amount of trans fats in their diet. But leading a healthier lifestyle takes more than just changing one lifestyle habit.

When so much emphasis is put on one topic people begin to forget that living a healthier lifestyle encompasses more than just cutting out trans fats from their diet. They should also be watching their sodium intake, exercising more, and watching their portion sizes. It’s the holistic approach to weight loss and living a healthier lifestyle that will ultimately prevent diseases and make you look and feel better.

The media should serve as an advocate for better health for the public not a broken record that reports the same research over and over.