Being an Online Nutrition Communicator

And Why It’s Okay to Have Conflicts of Interest

Posting on social media is an odd thing. You have something useful to share with the world, so you stand in front of your phone, talk to it and then post on various platforms, only to later find yourself sitting in front of the same device staring longingly at the screen waiting for a single “like” or comment. When you receive a compliment, you get a nice little warm and fuzzy feeling, only to have this delight turned to shit when you read a single negative comment. Still, you return, craving that warm and fuzzy dopamine rush of anticipation.

It’s fucking weird. Yet I’ve found myself doing just this, I’m embarrassed to admit.

Over the past few months, I’ve raised my head above the virtual parapet and indulged in this social media thing in the form of video content. Most of my productions are – I’d like to think – informative stuff: nutrition tips, how to control your appetite, discussing nutrition research, etc. However, some issues – bizarrely – have turned out to be controversial. Even when I talk about the evidence for things like sweetener consumption and non-communicable disease risk or how to spot questionable nutrition content, a ton of zealous criticism gets thrown in my direction. Although most of it is of the strawman persuasion, some of the comments have been worth challenging, especially when it comes to my conflicts of interest – this is something I’ll get to.

I’m a better writer than I am an orator on self-made videos. But you can’t churn out articles anywhere near as quickly as video content. Interestingly, I probably do a reasonable job when interviewed on podcasts, and I can hold an audience quite well when speaking live. But stick me in my kitchen, on my own, in front of that six-inch screen and, well, I’m about as happy as a penguin in the Sahara.

It gets worse. I’m guilty of arguably the most destructive of all social media habits – the very thing I do not wish to be doing – chasing followers. I’m conflicted: if I truly believe that sharing my knowledge could benefit others, naturally, I want it to be watched, so I find myself chasing followers and, in a bid to capture scrollers’ attention, I end up with some of my videos being less informative than I’d like. Fortunately, I can intertwine this emotion-grabbing, intellectually lame and somewhat shittier stuff that the algorithms yearn for with more educationally illuminating content. Yes, posting on social media can truly be a painful experience, and since I’ve been properly content creating, my Instagram following has risen by a measly 3.4k*. Frustrating!

Why I Post Videos

“So, James,” you justifiably ask, “why are you bothering with this social media thing if you loathe it so?”

Great point! I could just stick to what I enjoy: writing the odd Substack and doing a podcast interview now and again. After all, what’s not to like about a podcast conversation? You have a nice chat with a nice person on a topic you enjoy.

Fortunately, I’m highly motivated to share content. The impetus to put myself out there stems from a conversation I had with a nutritionist peer and friend a couple of years ago in which I was whinging about the explosion of pseudo-influencers putting out dangerous nutrition information. Her response was, “But James, this is partly on us. We don’t do it.” She was referring to the fact that too few formally qualified and experienced nutritionists and dietitians put themselves out there on social channels and share sound advice**. Her comment got me thinking: if I genuinely am concerned about dangerous misinformation being disseminated by these ultracrepidarians, I need to do something about it. I, too, should be creating content. So, a few months later, I started.

But I’m also motivated by my own fortuitousness. Huel continues to grow and perform well, and I have exceptional colleagues. This – along with the fact that I’m now in a good place financially – has allowed me to dedicate more time to other stuff. With my 30-plus years’ experience in nutrition and dietetics, I might have some useful perspectives that others would benefit from. Moreover, I don't need to earn money from posting content♰. Granted, creating quality content may contribute to me being seen as an authority figure, which, in turn, might benefit Huel, but this is a minor motivator.

I guess on some level I do this social media thing because I feel compelled. Being a nutrition communicator could be – for want of a less-crap term – my calling.

Why I Publish Articles

Although more up my street, writing nutrition articles can be an extremely complicated process and, at times, somewhat stressful. It’s also very time-consuming, especially when I have to sift through multiple references. So why do I do it?

I’ve been working in the nutrition space for more than three decades. Every day, as I learn more, I realise how little I actually know. This is a depressing realisation. Our food system is hugely complex, and reading multiple different opinions from a range of sources – some based on research, others merely conjecture – means it’s fucking hard to fathom this science that I so love♰♰. To help me make sense of what I learn, I write. The act of writing allows me to consolidate my thoughts and forces my brain to ask itself questions. If I want to really get my head around a particular nutrition issue, I write an article on it. My objective is to gain a greater-than-average understanding of the topic to enable me to respond to online comments and to become better equipped to debate it on, say, a podcast or as part of a panel. However, as writing is a lengthy process, I can’t knock out a new article very often. Some take “just” three or four hours to put together, but many have taken more than 25 hours spread over several weeks. That’s a lot of work.

And the writing aspect alone isn’t enough. I have to commit to publishing articles publicly to force myself to (try to) be on point with everything I say. Knowingly opening myself up to potential criticism compels intellectual honesty, rigour and humility: key values integral to honest communication.

I’m also motivated to write to share ideas that offer an alternative view to others’ perspectives, to combat misinformation and to offer a counter narrative to those who push their nutrition ideologies. But more than this, I get immense joy from the writing process. Crafting a research-based piece into something readable – and hopefully enjoyable – for the layperson is an art. I write in stages: never is an article started and completed in a single day, and rarely in the same week. Part of the enjoyment comes from pondering the vast complexities of food and nutrition science, finding connections and committing my ideas to paper. I feel immense satisfaction as I complete the final review of a new article.

“You Can’t Have an Opinion”

When putting out content, I have an obvious conflict of interest: I’m Huel co-founder and Chief Sustainable Nutrition Officer. Aside from the fact that I’ve a financial interest, I’m emotionally attached. Even if I were to no longer financially benefit from Huel, it would still be hard to remove these biases, because they stem from the fact that I’ve been responsible for making key nutrition-related decisions concerning Huel products. However, biases work in all directions and need not be financially related. We all have our beliefs, and in few areas are beliefs more deeply held than when it comes to the food we put into our bodies. Moreover, when someone makes an assertion, it’s often uncomfortable for them to change their mind. Biases are impossible to completely alleviate. All we can do is be aware of them, try to mitigate them, aim to be transparent and, crucially, defer to the evidence.

When I post on social channels – on LinkedIn in particular – often people seem to see me solely as Huel co-founder. Indeed, some replies have indicated that the responder isn’t aware of my considerable experience in nutrition. Therefore, some comments imply that the individual thinks that any claims I state are merely to justify the nutrition of Huel products. This is an issue that needs clearing up. Despite my commercial links, first and foremost, I’m a Registered Nutritionist. But more than this, my core values revolve around intellectual honesty, rigour and humility. This impels me to (try to) adhere to sound science, and it’s why my primary motivation to publish articles is to force myself to rigorously review relevant literature, consolidate my thoughts and open myself up to challenge.

“Why should I listen to you?” I’m sometimes asked. I love this question. Well, you shouldn’t only listen to me. Similarly, you’d be wise not to solely listen to any other nutrition communicator. Question everything and defer to the evidence. Of course, like anyone, I have my biases, but the fact that I create content for zero financial gain should, I feel, go some way to reduce the effect of the biases linked to my employment.

Another challenge I’ve experienced when criticising advice coming from pseudo-influencers is, “Stay in your lane!” This weird statement serves to affirm the ideological nature of the content, as it implies that I should stick to my own beliefs and not criticise other content creators because it upsets others. When I hear this comment, I’m lost as to how to respond.

Be Constructive

People are really confused with all the conflicting nutrition messages. I aim to disseminate evidence-based perspectives, and when my ideas are mere conjecture, I try to be clear about this. There are a number of amazing content creators who give really credible advice. I might not always agree with what they say, but they’re honest, open-minded actors who take on board other perspectives. In this diet-dogmatic online world, I’ve opened myself up to having my ideas challenged by a vast range of opinions. I welcome criticism: it helps me update my beliefs to be better aligned with the available evidence. But, if you offer a critique, for fuck’s sake, do it in a constructive manner. The passive-aggressive – or plain aggressive – strawmans serve to help no one. Least of all, yourself.

* At time of publication total followers are around 5.4k.
** Thankfully, more recently, there seems to have been an increase in credible content creators producing evidence-based information presented in an easy-to-comprehend way as part of this war on dangerous advice.
♰ Indeed, there’s considerable cost involved: I have to pay for editors, graphic designers, social media managers, equipment, etc.
♰♰ Musings on this point can be found in my article How “Hard” Is Nutrition?