Processed, white bread, with sweet, unsalted butter. Yum! |
Yes, that’s white bread—homemade by my bread machine, in
fact (with my husband’s assistance)—and that indeed is real butter on top,
added by yours truly. It was part of my lunch, together with my favorite lentil soup. And, a piece of salted almond dark chocolate, along with
a cup of tea I’m still sipping on. A reality program of what RDs really eat?
Not quite. Rather, I’m compelled to respond to an article that makes showing up
at dinner parties with my real identity as a Registered Dietitian quite
challenging!
I stumbled upon 9 Ingredients Nutritionists Won’t Touch as
it was retweeted by some RDs on Twitter. Exaggerated statements about foods
that dietitians wouldn’t dare eat plastered the article, so I thought I'd clear
the air for the sake of people like Brian (not his real name), a blog follower
struggling with an eating disorder. He saw this Dietitian's response,
which read “An irresponsible piece overgeneralizing about RDs and what is
healthy! No soy protein? Only 100% whole grain bread? Really?” He responded “I
used to assume all nutrition 'experts' were this rigid - & triggering.
Hence I've never consulted any”.
So let me set you straight. This article certainly doesn't
represent all dietitians. The hype suggesting we should never eat these 9
ingredients is crazy. No single ingredient moderately consumed is poison. Although
I will admit that eating a hotdog every
day will greatly increase your risk of cancer. And certainly no one food or
ingredient causes weight gain. (Or weight loss. Sorry to disappoint you.) The
reason why I'm taking the time to address this is because the last thing you
need is more food rules—especially senseless ones.
Since I honestly have never been concerned enough to avoid at all costs the ingredients
purported to be avoided by nutritionists, I needed to do a bit of research on
these food concerns. With a little bit of digging, here’s what I conclude:
Corn oil and omega 6
fatty acids (FAs)
Sure, I'd recommend an increase in omega three fats
from fish such as salmon, sardines, tuna (in moderation if you are in your
childbearing years), flax and walnuts, to benefit from their role in reducing
inflammation and lowering cardiac risk. But to set a rule that products with
ingredients such as corn oil should be banned is unwarranted. Omega 6 FAs also
have their benefits, and a focus on the ratio of omega-6 to omega 3s is
apparently misguided. Read the experts' review http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/119/6/902.long
The cancer causing
additive potassium benzoate and benzene
Here’s an excerpt from the 2009 FDA paper addressing concerns about
benzene levels found in beverages: How many and what products were found to have excessive
levels of benzene?:
To date, FDA has tested almost 200 soft drink and other beverages in the CFSAN survey. Benzene above 5 ppb was found in a total of ten products. Benzene above 5 ppb was found in nine of the beverage products that contain both added benzoate salts and ascorbic acid. FDA also found benzene above 5 ppb in one cranberry juice beverage with added ascorbic acid but no added benzoates (cranberries contain natural benzoates). The manufacturers have reformulated products, if still manufactured, which were identified in the survey as containing greater than 5 ppb benzene. CFSAN tested samples of these reformulated products and found that benzene levels were less than 1.5 ppb. See also Data on Benzene in Soft Drinks and Other Beverages, including product names and benzene levels.
Don't trust the FDA? Here's a balanced, unbiased piece from Livestrong, June 2011 which references additional sources, too.
Even though benzene levels are not an issue, I’d vote for
moderate intake, at best, of sodas.
Soy is poison? This
one I had to look up because I was clueless!
In the article on the nine ingredients we supposedly avoid
like the plague, Nunez, the author
quotes Valerie Berkowitz RD, saying "Soy protein, soy isolate, and soy oil
are present in about 60 percent of the foods on the market and have been shown
to impair fertility and affect estrogen in women, lower sex drive, and trigger
puberty early in children," she says. "Soy can also add to the
imbalance between omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids."
Unfortunately, the evidence simply isn’t
there to support Berkowitz’s claim.
For a balanced review of the pros and cons of soy, check out
this Huff Post piece http://www.huffingtonpost.com/neal-barnard-md/settling-the-soy-controve_b_453966.html,
which, rather than sensationalizing food ingredients, cites the research from
peer-reviewed journals that are considered state-of-the-art.
If you are still concerned about the unproven risks of GMO
soy, that shouldn't stop you from choosing organic which eliminates this
possible risk. Apparently organic soy is stated to be free not only of
pesticides but of genetic modification.
As for palm oil? And
processed foods?
My breakfast of smoked fish (with nitrites), enriched white bread, and saturated-fat containing foods--in moderation, of course. |
Sure, I'm not big on palm oil, a saturated fat, but again,
it's about the bigger picture. How much are you consuming? Too much saturated
fat will increase your LDL or “bad” cholesterol, as it's commonly known. But
even those needing to follow a diet low in saturated fat to lower their high
blood cholesterol levels can consume up to 7% of their total calories from
saturated fat. Certainly that leaves room for the occasional product that has a
bit of palm oil as an ingredient.
Nitrates and nitrites
have long been acknowledged to be carcinogenic, leading to cancer. So no, I
wouldn't recommend frequent intake of hot dogs and bacon. But an occasional dog
at a picnic? Be my guest.
The statement about avoiding
enriched flour? That one tops the list as the most absurd recommendation,
and the mere suggestion that this represents what dietitian's believe would
certainly keep me from seeing one! So I'm with you, Brian. What they are
suggesting is that enriched is code
for refined—because the only foods that need enrichment are those that have
been stripped of their original nutrients. That said, all foods do not need to
be nutrient powerhouses; refined (unenriched bread) isn't poison, as part of a
balanced diet. And of course enriched
bread would only bring additional B vitamins to the meal. So what's the
problem? Must we always choose the most fiber filled, nutrient-rich food items?
Can't we include vegetables for some of the fiber and vitamins and minerals,
and simply enjoy the French bread—enriched or otherwise?
Articles like 9 Ingredients
perpetuate misinformation about food and nutrition and about dietitians. While it does refer to the nutrition
professional as a nutritionist, a
general term having no qualifications attached to it, they quoted from many a
Registered Dietitian throughout the article.
If you're trying to improve your relationship with food and
you visit with a Registered Dietitian whose messages match up with the 9 Ingredients hyped article, do run the
other way! But please don't assume that we are all like that. I know I'm not
alone in my approach to eating. Registered Dietitians with a focus on behavior
change and those with extensive experience treating individuals with eating
disorders are most likely to share my approach.
So Brian, hopefully now you’ll reconsider a visit to a
dietitian—just find one with a sensible, balanced approach to eating.
Thanks for reading.