Understanding what you’re reading, who is behind what you’re reading and why they might have an interest in you is a very important aspect of becoming an educated consumer. I recently experienced the marketing techniques of nutrition professionals, and how their choice of URL’s could play a role in America’s education about nutrition.

Ever sit at the table in the morning and completely study the back of the cereal box resting in front of you? If you’re anything like me, you have done this before. This morning, I was reading the side panel of my Cheerios box and saw information regarding a nutritional website.  Their marketing technique worked perfectly on me (kind-of). I was interested on what the site might have to offer me that General Mills wanted me to see. Immediately after finishing my bowl of goodness, I walked over to my computer and checked out the site.

I thought I remembered the box saying “Eat Right America.com.” So, I went to the URL. It turns out, Eat Right America is a collection of knowledge by Joel Fuhrman, MD and his nutritional medicine colleagues. I immediately recognized Dr. Fuhrman’s name – one, as an influential blogger in the nutritional community – he frequently blogs on DiseaseProof.com—and two, as the author of the best-selling book Eat To Live: The Revolutionary Plan for Fast and Sustained Weight Loss (2003). Eat to Live is a highly influential diet on the market today, complete with a published book and website.

However, I couldn’t (for the life of me) figure out how Dr. Fuhrman’s small site was able to afford to market on the side panel of a Cheerios box.  This is because Cheerios is owned by General Mills, a fervent supporter of the American Heart Association (the front of the cheerios box usually features a heart-shaped bowl and has a ribbon across it, featuring something about AHA and how Cheerios are good for lowering cholesterol).  So I double-checked the URL on the side of the box, which reads, “Eat Better America.com.” Ah, this makes sense now.

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