There were times during my career that I thought, “Diet still matters?”
It is difficult to sort through research and analyze which methodologies are better than others, which are biased, and what is really meaning.
I am still here, practicing the art of communicating nutrition science, with a passion for food. So I guess I still believe that yes, diet matters.
Nutrition is not only important in the prevention or treatment of the disease. It also matters because a well -powered body will bring you through your daily activities, and sometimes food can simply bring joy to your life.
Will the removal of dyed foods make someone “healthier”?
A recent USDA press conference was held to support the announcement of the International Dairy Association (IDFA) on the commitment of the dairy industry to eliminate artificial food dyes from ice cream. Specifically, this is a voluntary promise to eliminate the use of red 3, red 40, green 3, blue 1, blue 2, yellow 5 and yellow 6 of ice cream and other frozen dairy desserts by 2028.
Press conference comments included some events, and some myths for food and nutrition.
Robert Kennedy jr declared: “The American people have made it clear – they want real food, not chemicals.”
Well, sir, “real food” consists of chemicals.
Michael Dykes, chief executive of the International Dairy Farmers Association, said they “reduce sugar by 60% in America’s schools and flavored milk” as part of it The healthy commitment of the school’s milk.
Milk is nutritious, ice cream is a pleasure
I am always a fan of “Milk with Meals” for children as it offers essential nutrients missing in many children’s diets. I also support flavored milk as an option – regardless of whether it has 3 grams of less added sugar or not. Each person can choose to avoid milk, but from a public health point of view, milk offers financially good nutrition (even chocolate milk).
During the press conference, an Indiana dairy (Sam Schwoeppe) was invited to speak and offered some basic facts:
- Milk is nutritious.
- Milk provides basic nutrients often missing from American diets: Vitamin D, calcium, potassium
On the other hand, ice cream is a pleasure. It is higher in fat and sugar than a glass of milk or a bowl of cottage cheese. It’s a delicious enjoyment to enjoy a hot summer day. However, a pint or a bowl of 5 scoop every day would be “too much”. Portions are important
FDA Commissioner Marty Makary claimed to have data-“from families who say that their children are acting with poor behavior … and eliminating food dyes based on oil and behavior.” He justifies his example that this may not be the traditional randomized control test, but is “data”.
Malarkey. Called: anecdotal data.
The 1992 Food Pyramid
We can’t make people stop talking about it. Share the xIn 2011, USDA replaced the “Food Pyramid” with Myplate. However, Makary repeatedly refers to the “re -registration of the food pyramid” in his comments and brought it back to the ice cream press conference.Muscle It is the current graphic used for public education. Like the previous graphic pyramid, it includes vegetables, fruits, granules, proteins and dairy products. The graphic is now represented as a cross section that focuses on fruits and vegetables, with smaller portions of meat and starch seed, and includes a glass of milk.
Saturated fat and course against seed oils
Makary also reported saturated fats during the press conference and apparently brought Ancel keys.
DGA 2020-2025 Suggest that most Americans should consume a low fat diet of 20 to 35% of total calories. This includes a limit for foods containing saturated fat (less than 10% of calories). It seems to want to reverse the narrative and instead suggests that saturated fats do not have adverse connections to heart disease or health. Eating foods such as meat and full fat dairy is fine, since the sections are suitable and these foods are balanced in the overall diet.
To note, Nina Teicholz is an American journalist that supports consumption saturated fatComplete fat dairy products and fat meats. Watch Gala Maha earlier this year and is clearly “in the ear” of Maha executives. Teicholz has authored books and documents that present her theory that saturated fat is not harmful to health in any way. According to Teicholz, replacing fats such as butter, lord or beef vegetable oilsHe has no health benefit. Disagree with DGA 2020-2025 Promoting the consumption of unsaturated high flowers. Instead, he believes that this is at the expense of natural dense sources of fat, such as dairy, eggs and meat. He also believes that the actual content of saturated fats of these foods “excessive”.
Again, the diet is thin. Also important – the dietary guidelines are based on all the evidence, not on some studies.
This sugar or this sugar?
No, by replacing high -fructose corn syrup with sugar cane sugar, it is not going to make your cola healthier (or “better”).
I have done a lot of work on “sweeteners” over the last two decades. HFCs and sucrose (table sugar – made of either cane or sugar beet), have similar effects on the body. They are both simple sugars consisting of glucose and fructose and metabolized in similar ways. Sugar sweet drinks top the list for added sugar import.
I’m not sure where the current administration will fall on the dietary guidelines for sugar. These are the current instructions:
- Children under 2 years of age should not receive food or drinks with additional sugars
- People aged 2 years and over limit added intake of sugars to less than 10% of their total daily calories
- No more than 200 calories (~ 12 teaspoons) should come from additional sugars, based on a 2,000 -calorie diet plan.
There are many types of these simple carbohydrates in food supply. Different types of sugars are used for different reasons. For example, sugar has functional properties in foods beyond glory only (brown, moisture retention, enhancement of taste and color profiles).
The dietary guidelines
All this attitude about removing dyes or deactivating one sugar for another seems to invest things to justify the US guideline document.
There is often an involvement in the way dietary guidelines are interpreted for Americans (DGA).
“THE Diet guidelines It focuses on the combination of foods and beverages that are the whole diet of a person over time and not individual foods or dietary situations. “
- Adapt and enjoy the options of food and nutrients to reflect personal preferences, cultural traditions and budgetary estimates.
- Focus on addressing the needs of the food group with dense foods and drinks and stay within calories.
- Limit food and drinks higher to added sugars, saturated fat and sodium and limit alcoholic beverages. In particular, by limiting the added sugars to less than 10% of calories per day for ages 2 years and over and to avoid additional sugars for infants and toddlers.
- Limited saturated fat in less than 10% of calories a day starting at the age of two.
- Limiting sodium intake to less than 2,300mg daily.
I hope that decision -making managers will review the Scientific report. In every respect, I will continue to share the evidence.