The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, which calls itself the "world's largest organization of food and nutrition professionals" and probably is, recently broke ranks with the anti-fat brigade, urging that the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans "deemphasize saturated fat from nutrients of concern, given the lack of evidence connecting it with cardiovascular disease" (Press Release). The wording is awkward. I think what the Academy means to say is that we should stop bad-mouthing saturated … [Read more...]
Helping the President raise awareness about childhood obesity
Happy National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month! That's right, September 2011 has been so proclaimed by President Obama. The President notes that a third of American children are obese or over-weight and urges "all Americans to take action by learning about and engaging in activities that promote healthy eating and greater physical activity by all our Nation's children." I can't find a place on the proclamation to leave a comment, so I'll do it here. Mr. President, I'm with you on the … [Read more...]
Let them eat beans! Why soda pop bans are a bad idea
Should the USDA allow states or cities to bar the use of food stamps to purchase soda pop and other sugary drinks? Or perhaps go a step further and enact such a ban itself? What the heck, why not just enshrine the ban in federal law? The New York Daily News in a recent editorial slams the feds for blocking an attempt by New York City to try the soda pop ban for two years to see what if any impact it would have on obesity rates in poor communities. The newspaper cites a four-part series on … [Read more...]
The bean that ate America
Those Americans like me with reservations about eating soy are apparently a small minority of the populace. According to a recent survey, 81% of Americans view soy as healthy. OK, the Consumer Attitudes about Nutrition survey (PDF file) was conducted by the United Soy Board (USB), so there is reason to be suspicious of its findings. Oddly, I'm not that suspicious. I think the average American doesn't know beans about soy, but is willing to give it the benefit of the doubt. Just a short … [Read more...]
Two upward trends: drinking calories and getting diabetes
I was born in a simpler time. Back then, soda pop was an occasional treat, not an everyday (or twice a day) habit. In 1952, Americans on average drank 11.5 gallons of carbonated, caloric soft drinks per year. I doubt that I personally accounted for any of 1,786,100,000 gallons of cola, root beer, red pop, etc., produced and consumed in the U.S. that year, but a decade later, when per capita availability had increased to 14.5 gallons per year, I was doing my part. I continued drinking my … [Read more...]
Examining the government’s food plate
"Faced with decades of explosively increasing numbers of obese people and diabetics the US government answer is to find a more effective way to give the exact same fat phobic advice." Dr. Andreas Eenfeldt The United States Department of Agriculture has unleashed its Food Plate, a replacement for the venerable Food Pyramid. As you can see, it is actually a plate plus a glass and a fork, and darn colorful. The general idea is to show Americans how to eat a healthy meal. The U.S. … [Read more...]