Question, dig deeper, think.
Do your sources pass the craap test? Print off the CRAAP Test Worksheet.
Testers: Evaluate Resources Using the CRAAP Test.
Henry was interested in finding out whether gluten affects the brain. He did a Google search and came up with the following links. Use the CRAAP test to help him rank the reliability of the following resources.
1. http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/228250
2. http://brain.oxfordjournals.org/content/126/3/685.full
3. http://www.webmd.com/brain/autism/gluten-free-casein-free-diets-for-autism
4. http://glutendude.com/celiac/celiac-disease-and-brain-fog/
5. http://www.drkaslow.com/html/gluten-brain_connection_.html
Here is a list of potential research questions:
1. How safe is sugar? Should it be a controlled substance such as alcohol and cigarettes? Why is there so much sugar in processed food?
2. What is the chemical composition of each of the artificial sweeteners? How safe are artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, sucralose, stevia, xylitol, and saccharin?
3. What are high density lipoproteins and low density lipoproteins? In terms of your health, why should you care? How can you stay healthy?
4. Is coconut oil really better for you than other oils? How do short chain,medium chain and long chain fatty acids differ? How can you determine which types are healthiest?
5. What are some natural steroids? Why does taking steroids help a person build muscle? How does taking steroids harm the body?
6. How much protein is too much? What does the body do with excess protein? How can the body be harmed?
7. If aspartame is an amino acid, and we need amino acids, how can this sweetener be harmful?
8. How many different proteins can be built with 20 different amino acids?
9. What is genetically modified food? Are you eating it? Is there science that conclusively shows it to be safe? Why is it hard to tell which foods contain it? Dig deep. See the politics.
10. What is gluten? What is casein? Where are they found? Why are some people sensitive to these proteins? What effect do they have on the small intestine?
11. What does gluten do to people with celiac disease?
12. What is msg? What are some other names it goes by? How is it harmful? Is there a link between autism and msg? What foods is msg found in? Check your labels at home. Which ones have msg in them? Take pictures and make a collage of the product and/or ingredient list.
13. Fact finding mission. Visit a supermarket and read lots of labels. Use the list of free glutamate ingredients to determine which types of food contain it. Or, take a virtual walk through the supermarket with a biochemist who has researched glutamate in foods.
14. What is leaky gut syndrome? How is related to what you eat?
15. What is a complete protein and where can you get it?
16. Are creatine supplements a good idea for you?
17. What is mitochondrial DNA? How is it used to identify “unknown soldiers”?
18. What is a 3 parent baby?
19. Which organelles are each of the following disorders associated with: Tay-Sachs Disease, Cystic Fibrosis, Adrenoleukodystrophy? Specifically at the physiological level, what causes the disorder and how does it manifest itself.