Nutritionism: The Numbers Game That Doesn't Add Up To Good Health
Cross-posted from The Green Fork.
So Seinfeld alumna Julia Louis-Dreyfus has signed on to flog frozen dinners for processed food giant ConAgra, who's shelling out an estimated $90-100 million dollars to "re-introduce" its Healthy Choice brand of convenience foods.
Not that there's anything wrong with that. Or is there? The new campaign strives for Seinfeld-like irony by showing Louis-Dreyfus waffling about whether to endorse Healthy Choice. And Louis-Dreyfus should be ambivalent; after all, ConAgra has a pretty troubled track record on labor, food safety and environmental issues.
Louis-Dreyfus, meanwhile, has all the obligatory eco-chic credentials, from the solar powered Santa Barbara house featuring salvaged materials to her hybrid and biodiesel-fueled cars. She encourages everyone to use CFL bulbs and reusable shopping bags. And, as she told Shape magazine, whose April cover features her fabulously fit 48-year-old bod, Louis-Dreyfus is a big fan of organic and local food:
I'm not out to mock Louis-Dreyfus's apparent hypocrisy, here. What really galls me about Healthy Choice is what it represents: the triumph of "nutritionism," that dubious dietary trend skewered by Michael Pollan in his bestseller In Defense of Food.
Nutritionism is the phenomenon that's given us all kinds of super-duper enhanced foods: probiotic yogurts; whole grain cookies that are high in fiber; orange juice with added calcium, and so on. It's a system of formulas, relying on various combinations of carbs, fats, proteins, minerals, vitamins, and other nutrients which--in the proper ratios--are supposed to be the key to good health.
And yet, all these numbers haven't added up to a healthier nation--on the contrary.
So, on the 100th anniversary of our nation's oldest nutrition program at Teachers College, Columbia University this past weekend, one of our foremost professors of nutrition, Joan Dye Gussow, stepped up to a podium to implore her fellow nutritionists to avoid what she called "the nutrient trap."
Gussow, who's taught nutritional ecology at Teachers College for nearly four decades,
recalled the gist of a conversation she'd had with a colleague back in 1969:
As Gussow noted, the end of World War II brought a flood of processed foods derived from new and novel ingredients:
...if we had known in 1940 what we know today about degenerative diseases in relation to the macronutrient composition of the diet, it would have been relatively simple to teach people how to choose their diets wisely from the foods then available in the marketplace...
...Instead, those of us trying to apply nutrition so as to improve human well-being, have for years found ourselves standing ankle-deep in a flood of new products, desperately seeking to keep abreast of the latest news about the latest combination of ingredients that will make us and those we counsel chronically healthy.
Nutritionists in recent decades have focused on individual nutrients in their attempts to identify beneficial ingredients. But Gussow pointed out the folly of fixating on, say, beta carotene's potential to fight cancer when there are some 50 other carotenoids commonly found in fruits and vegetables. Since many of these carotenoids occur together, Gussow added, "It's impossible to say when you're looking at someone's diet, which one--or several--of them might be helping protect against cancer."
What we do know is that plant-based foods contain a wide range of micro and macro nutrients that foster good health. This is why Gussow and her fellow nutrition professor Marion Nestle--and Michael Pollan, who acknowledges his debt to both these women--are forever telling us to eat whole foods, especially fruits and vegetables. Packaged, processed "food-like substances" containing long lists of gobbledy-gook ingredients will never form the basis of a healthy diet, regardless of whether they've been "enhanced" with fiber, or omega 3 fatty acids, or antioxidants. As Gussow declared:
In thinking how we might do that, I've personally had some success in suggesting that we use the term "indigenous" nutrients in our specifications which would mean they had to be there to start with and "nutrition" couldn't be achieved by just dumping appropriate quantities of the most popular nutrients into any old mix of corn, soy and sugar. But we need to go further than that. We definitely need to push for food, food that comes fresh into homes and institutions and is cooked so that it tastes like actual food. Simple, good tasting food that eaters sometimes have a chance to handle raw...
...As the devastating statistics indicate--the rising rates of obesity and diabetes, the forecasts that our children will have lives shorter than ours--we are threatening ours and our children's futures by how we feed them and allow them to be fed. We know just enough about the composition of food to know that, in seeking health, our only real choice is to eat actual traditional foods, not those collections of nutrients that the food industry will be happy to provide to us in a variety of forms, even as candy bars. And we know, therefore, that our most determined enemies in the attempt to improve diets will be the food companies that profit from selling all of us these unhealthy products.
ConAgra's Healthy Choice website boasts that its new "all natural" entrees are high in fiber, contain antioxidants such as lycopene and vitamins A and C, are low in saturated fat and cholesterol, and free of preservatives or artificial flavors. To the average shopper, that all sounds reassuringly nutritious, no doubt.
And if you take a look at the nutritional information offered for each of Healthy Choice's new entrees, you'll see that the number of carbs, fats, etc. falls within the recommended range by our current nutritional standards. You'll also get a brief, vague description of each dish--for example, the Sweet Asian Potstickers: "Get 6 grams of fiber from this delectable vegetable dish served on a healthy bed of whole-grain rice and covered with a sweet Asian-style sauce."
Well, OK, but what are these Sweet Asian Potstickers actually made of? Who knows? The Healthy Choice website doesn't bother to list the actual ingredients. Because it's not really about the food--it's all about the nutrients. The truly healthy choice is real food, not a brand in a box.
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Call you senators and congresspeople and implore them to NOT pass HR 875 and other so called "food safety" bills currently milling about in the capital. The goal of these proposals is draconian law with absolute monopoly granted to agri-business, big pharma and chemical maniacs like Dupont and Monsanto. The "bills" as written are so vague that anything not permitted will become illegal. In a nut shell, the corporate farming, GMO producing, chemical filling industries of the world want to outlaw all organic and healthy farming here and elsewhere and replace it with their "version" of healthy food, food production and non-consumer labeling and no choice for people. If hormones and antibiotics are such a great thing for your diary products, why then are large, corporate diary producers trying to force the BAN of smaller, organic diary producers of their right to label their products as free for hormones, antibiotics, and bovine growth hormone. If this chemical, hormone cocktail was so good for you, why then don't we FORCE agri-business to label their products clearly that they contain this garbage? If Genetically modified organisms (GMO), are so beneficial to the growing of crops, and so good for you, then why is the United States the ONLY country in the world fighting most others to make it illegal to inform consumers that their food products are made with GMO's? Never do anything against your conscience, even if the state tell you to do so.
People need Calcium and Magnesium supplements 3 grams of Cal and 1.5 of Mag.per day
Calcium alone wont work.
People need lots of things. So, I'm curious what evidence you have to support your claim that we need to take calcium and magnesium supplements. Why can't we get what we need from eating a balanced diet of real foods (v. manufactured edible foodlike substances with lots of health claims)?
Great article. And very nice to see something written against the masses. I think that one of the big issues is that people are not willing to take the time and do things that make their lives better. It takes a conscious effort to buy from local markets and to eat fruits and vegetables and to pack a healthy lunch. People would rather stop in the supermarket and buy something that has some "WOW" on the packaging, and call it done. But unfortunately, even doctors now will recommend things to make people's lives easier while getting the nutrients that they need. It is really scary.
I am a yoga teach and eat small amounts of everything all day long - fruits, grains, vegetables, etc. and since I have started I have noticeably felt better.
Great article and thanks for posting it.
Very interesting article. The sooner we can focus on eating more healthfully with an emphasis on low glycemic index foods the sooner we can begin making an impact on the type 2 diabetes epidemic raging across the U.S. Much of the developed world is in the same predicament. Millions more are yet undiagnosed and still more millions are prediabetic. This tsunami of elevated blood sugar must be addressed, and real food is a place to start. We write extensively about related issues, especially the connections between high blood sugar levels and gum disease that worsen both conditions and increase risks of serious health events, at http://den
- Charles Martin, DDS
Founder, Dentistry For Diabetics
For decades, nutritionists and specialists told us that healthy diet means eating more fruit and vegetables and less fats and carbohydrates. We get that! Most of us buy fruit and vegetables year around and consider it a healthy choice. It makes sense - they are fresh and contain natural minerals and vitamins that we lack most of the time and especially in the winter… So we dig deep into our wallets and pay big bucks for this imported stuff that came all the way from another continent and sits pretty on tidily organized shelves.
It is not a secret that a “fresh” tomato, for example, has traveled thousands of miles across the globe to end up on the pretty shelves. Now, let's take a look at what happened to the tomato before it appeared in our supermarkets…
In its short life, right before it was picked blue-green in some foreign field, the “fresh” tomato was synthetically pesticide, fertilized, genetically modified, and sewage smothered. Later, to make it look more attractive and prolong its life, it was waxed and shined with more chemicals and was piled into a refrigerator truck to get it on its’ way to our supermarkets. And… ladies and gentlemen… there it is: plastic looking, waxed and shined, absolutely tasteless and nutrientless “fresh” tomato! …which is apparently is good for our health.
So what can we do to avoid hormones, chemicals and antibiotics - shop local and buy organic!
www.greana
Great description of the sequence a "fresh" tomato may go through. Let me expand on the "cold chain" that tomato and other "fresh" produce likely go through, if not coming from a local source.
Farm -- local warehouse -- regional distribution center -- refrigerated truck -- air/ship transport -- refrigerated truck -- regional distribution center -- refrigerated truck -- local supermarket -- back room stocking area -- floor -- shelf
All that before the consumer touches the product (likely 7-10 days in the cold chain). See all the "hands" involved in the process and increased opportunities for something to hitch a ride?
Now imagine buying a tomato from a local farmer picked that morning or the day before. Better flavor. Healthier. Less environmental impact. More sustainable.
It's up to consumer to drive the change needed. Buy local...of
At the end of an 11 week term, my Nutrition professor told the class "To be healthy, eat a large variety of food, in moderation
She gets to know the farmers at the farmers markets?
OK, she can't actually be going to those markets, esp the ones up in LA, cause if she actually went to them, she would know there are NO farmers there! I go to several down here in SD and there are no farmers to be seen for miles. Puh-lease.
Too funny.
ORLY?
I'm sure those farmers would be amused to be told that they don't exist.
http://www
In California, farmer's markets that are "certified farmer's markets" require that the seller be the grower, & compliance is closely monitored. So, if JLD is going to a certified farmer's market, she is getting to know the farmers. You can find a CA certified market at http://www
Great Article, which raises many concerns about what exactly are we eating?
Although foods like you mentioned in your article, are sold as nutritious, they do so with Ingredients that people have been brainwashed into believing are healthy. But are they? Or are they just fashionable, at this moment in time? Their prime consideration being that they have a potential to lead to higher sales, because the public thinks they are healthy.
But are so called healthy ingrediants like Lycopene, Fish oil, high fiber, and low fat really healthy when they come from genetically modified ingredients ?
Since, Science has only recently begun to study the morphology of DNA, and it's effect on protein synthesis, it's quite possible that genetically engineered food, may have the potential to generate, diseases like NvCJD.
Yet large agri business has been instrumental in preventing, any testing of GMO's, before they are released for public consumption.
To be quite frank, Agri business, is still playing the same old game.
Right now they are trying to cash in on the public desire for healthier food, while continuing the same old deceptions.
It's quite telling that giant Agricultural corporations have resisted any attempt to label food as containing GMO's, so that the public can decide for themseleves if what they are eating is actually good for them.
Very disappointing that JLD is selling out like that, particularly since she tries to eat organic herself.
And that's absolutely true about processed food, for too long the companies have been starting out with things that have no nutritional value and then trying to add the nutrients back in after the fact. It just doesn't work as well as eating foods that actually have those nutrients in the first place.
Very interesting article. Thank you.
I learned in a history class years ago that rates of malnutrition in industrialized nations shot up in the nineteenth century after large-scale industrialization of food production began, and after processing (such as creating white flour from whole grains) became widespread. This happened even when working families had enough income to buy food. At the time, no one realized that processing strips much of the nutritional value from food. When they did realize it, they began adding manufactured nutrients back to the foods, to replace the natural nutrients that had been taken out during the processing.
Manufacturers still do this today because it's more cost effective and makes more money (for them) than just having everybody buy whole foods and cook it themselves. This is why you see dozens of brands of "fortified" cereals and orange juices made from concentrate but with vitamins added and all kinds of other manufactured foods at the grocery store.
I don't think that all processed foods are bad. I like myself a bowl of Mini Wheats every now and again, for instance. But it's still important to get the fresh fruits and veggies too. So yes, eat food. Less of it. Mostly plants. And if you have a Coke and a Snickers from time to time, it won't kill you. :-)
The title of this artcile reminds me of this "going green" religion sweeping the nation. I do agree though the billion dollar food companies and pharmas are not interested in our health. I would almost argue that they want to keep us sick. The problem with the organic movement is obviously its cost......
I don't care what you call the "going green" thing as long as people are doing it and it is actually making a positive difference.
Its a waste of money is what it is........
I also refuse to accept a religion with this type of price tag that hasn't even been debated or even proved to be 100% accurate. What "differenc
Americans are so trained to open cans and boxes and believe that it's nutritious, and their kids so manipulated into wanting expensive junk that comes with a Happy Meal - that's the problem. I grew up with NO fast food, no boxed food, and never any spending money for candy. We had fresh vegetables for dinner every night, "dessert" was always an actual piece of fruit, we saved the leftovers and nothing ever went to waste. My dad's 90 and my mom's almost 80 and they're both still strong and alert. I have only one cavity, from ages ago. Cost? That's a flimsy excuse. You don't have to shop at Whole Foods. You just have to be willing to eat honest clean food, i.e., stuff that's good for you, stuff your great-grandmother would have told you to eat. I can't begin to count how many adults I know who push aside their salad and vegetables, but always go for more bread and fries. It sickens me to watch them.
The Multi BILLIONS $$$$$ Medical - Pharmaceutical - Food Industries are NOT interested in our Health...
Just as Organized Religion may speak of GOD/ALLAH as a being all about Love and Eternal Life... In Fact and Deed, Organized Religion is primarily a way of teaching/l
The Multi BILLIONS $$$$$ Medical - Pharmaceutical - Food Industries may speak about Health and Care and Cures, but make their Money from the opposite..
When was it the AMA said Nature and Natural Organic Foods are best for the Naturally Healthy Body??? Stop growing/selling non organic products and especially food products..
Doctors do NOT study Natural Foods for Health and well being... Instead, their Education is all about pushing Drugs (called Medicine) that is designed to mask symptoms, not cure, and/or promote Health...
I can't believe people aren't commenting on this article. Not eating food anymore is probably a greater threat to our health than anything else going on in the world. Pollan's book lays out great common sense guidelines for changing your diet (and eventually your tastebuds).
My wife grew up on imitation food. All of her sisters are obese. They believe brands like Healthy Choice are actually a healthy choice. Over the years she has come around to my side of the family which was raise vegetarian (although we are not anymore) and organic. While her sisters have difficulty walking up a flight of stairs, my wife weighs in at less than 120 lbs and exercises regularly.
I know it is difficult but there is NOTHING FOR YOU IN THE CENTER AISLES OF THE GROCERY STORE.
Eat Food. Less of it. Mostly plants.
Exactly!
Down with the quasi food-like substances that fill up the bulk of grocery stores.
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