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##Example of NPOV vs. Non-NPOV wording

Example of NPOV vs. Non-NPOV wording

General health and diet issues are off-topic. We all know that (I hope). Of course, specific health and diet issues are certainly valid to talk about if they relate somehow to cooking or food preparation. People should absolutely feel welcome to ask about low-fat or gluten-free or vegetarian substitutions. The community seemed to feel that the question asking about cheap sources of protein was appropriate. Certainly our question about whether or not microwaving destroys nutrients in food is of some relevance to culinary experts.

• Going all the way back to our first days we had people posting that you should avoid saturated fats (and getting upvoted for it).

• A question about Fat contents from different types of ground beef when drained suggests that lean meat is better "from a health perspective."

• Another question suggests that egg yolks raise cholesterol, and even Darin's well-worded disclaimer neglects to mention that some research suggests eggs raise "good" cholesterol.

• This very well-meaning answer to a question about MSG makes note of the popular belief about allergic reactions and other health hazards associated with MSG, which is heavily disputed.

• Recently I've seen a spate of people recommending to lay off the salt. Then we had this question asking if kosher salt is "worse for your health" than table salt, which carries an implied (many would say incorrect) assumption that any salt is bad for your health.

General health and diet issues are off-topic. We all know that (I hope). Of course, specific health and diet issues are certainly valid to talk about if they relate somehow to cooking or food preparation. People should absolutely feel welcome to ask about low-fat or gluten-free or vegetarian substitutions. The community seemed to feel that the question asking about cheap sources of protein was appropriate. Certainly our question about whether or not microwaving destroys nutrients in food is of some relevance to culinary experts.

• Going all the way back to our first days we had people posting that you should avoid saturated fats (and getting upvoted for it).

• A question about Fat contents from different types of ground beef when drained suggests that lean meat is better "from a health perspective."

• Another question suggests that egg yolks raise cholesterol, and even Darin's well-worded disclaimer neglects to mention that some research suggests eggs raise "good" cholesterol.

• This very well-meaning answer to a question about MSG makes note of the popular belief about allergic reactions and other health hazards associated with MSG, which is heavily disputed.

• Recently I've seen a spate of people recommending to lay off the salt. Then we had this question asking if kosher salt is "worse for your health" than table salt, which carries an implied (many would say incorrect) assumption that any salt is bad for your health.

I want to clarify this because a lot of people think "neutral" means "tell everybody's side of the story", and this is simply not true. Please refer to Wikipedia's entries on due weight; the term means including all significant viewpoints - either majority (expert) viewpoints or minority viewpoints attributable to prominent experts (not quacks). It also means not taking sides, instead just explaining the viewpoints and sources: "most experts (citation) agree on X, although experts A and B disagree, claiming Y instead."

##Example of NPOV vs. Non-NPOV wording

Question: I am making (name of some baked good) and want to make a healthier version. Can anyone suggest how I can reduce the amount of oil to make this recipe healthier?

Non-NPOV Answer: Oil is fat. You should cut out all that fat completely and substitute it with something like applesauce. That will be much healthier.

Still not NPOV: You can substitute applesauce for the oil, but as long as you are using an oil that's mostly mono/polyunsaturated (such as sunflower oil) and avoiding saturated or trans fats, then it's perfectly healthy already.

NPOV Answer: You can reduce the oil by substituting some of it with applesauce, but reducing overall fat intake does not have proven health benefits. A certain amount of fat is actually necessary in one's diet. Furthermore, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are both known to lower LDL cholesterol (colloquially called "bad" cholesterol), and although it is widely believed that saturated fats increase the risk of heart disease, more recent research has put that into question as well. Very little is actually known for sure about the long-term effects of dietary fat intake and you should be cognizant of this when making decisions about your diet.

Also NPOV: You can reduce the oil by substituting some of it with applesauce. (Period. No health/diet-related information presented.)