Personal bias in nutrition advice: A survey of health professionals' recommendations regarding dairy and plant-based dairy alternatives

OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between health professionals' personal dietary behaviors and their professional nutrition recommendations on dairy and plant-based dairy alternatives. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey of 331 U.S. health professionals examined willingness to recommend dairy and/or plant-based dairy alternatives to patients across personal milk preference, and dietary pattern. RESULTS: Plant-based milk preference (OR 4.52; p < 0.001) and following a vegetarian dietary pattern (OR 1.91; p = 0.019) were associated with greater odds of recommending plant-based dairy alternatives to patients. Plant-based milk preference (OR 0.16; p < 0.001), following a vegetarian dietary pattern (OR 0.45; p = 0.009), and considering one's diet to be “plant-based” (OR 0.41; p = 0.005) were associated with lessor odds of recommending dairy to patients. Dietetics professionals were more likely than all other health professionals to recommend both dairy and plant-based dairy alternatives to patients. CONCLUSION: Health professionals' nutrition recommendations may reflect their personal nutrition choices. Improved nutrition training, focusing on evidence-based recommendations, reducing personal bias in practice, and routinely including registered dietitians on interprofessional healthcare teams may improve the quality of nutrition advice given to U.S. consumers. INNOVATION: This paper is the first to examine if health professionals' personal health behaviors are associated with their health advice on dairy and/or plant-based dairy alternatives.