Balance of Food

The Washington Post should point out dietitians who abuse their position

Despite what dietitians, good dietitians say, getting helpful, practical advice on eating and diet (in the general sense of the word) is difficult. We have noted that for years.

Back in the day when I hung out with dietitians, most of them were trapped in PR firms, justifying corporate food decisions. Few of them actually did what you think dietitians would do: help guide people to making smarter food decisions.

Helping patients doesn't pay well. PR firms pay well.

Besides being invisible, dietitians are generally quiet. The Washington Post and The Examination, a new nonprofit newsroom specializing in global public health, recently wrote a story about "anti-diet" dietitians on social media. Not all of the dietitians involved acknowledge their links to corporate food companies. Even those whose posts are listed as sponsored should be seen with a critical eye.

The "anti-diet" concept sounds intriguing if taken with a sincere lens in navigating the food scene but is mostly used to justify consuming big company breakfast cereal and other such food.

Social media and influencers are not the best sources of food information, sponsored or otherwise. I can rationally say that and mean it. Doesn't mean that millions of girls and young women aren't vulnerable to that influence.

So who do dietitians attack for such information being released? The dietitians? Social media? The misleading information? Nope. If you said the media, you would be correct. You can find such examples here and here.

Dietitians know about nutrition and specialize in communication to get that message out to people. Blaming the media is not as constructive as talking about the good work of dietitians and scolding bad behavior.

I am not a dietitian. I don't get sponsorships because I am not selling anything or my ethical standards. I do know how to communicate.

When Alton Brown did his "diet" episode, Brown talked about the general use of the word diet. In this sense, we are all on a diet. In this sense, we shouldn't be on a diet in the mainstream definition.

Dietitians run into this madness with the mantra of "there is no good or bad food." There are some very good foods and very bad foods. There are: sorry, dietitians. Most countries don't deal with high-fructose corn syrup. Most countries have a sense of banning food dyes and ingredients that should be outside of the norm. The United States and Canada (to some extent) use the "nothing can hurt you" rule where food safety is concerned. Processed food can have a place but using an anti-diet cloak to justify processed food to serve corporate food overlords is exactly what dietitians should fight to prevent that happening.

Foods can be utilized in smaller quantities. Theoretically, breakfast cereal can serve some purpose: in lieu of a dessert, measure out a cup with a cup of the milk of your choice, a splurge when feeling down.

The story points out how General Mills specifically promoted the anti-diet message at the Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo (FNCE) convention in Denver last fall. Be entertained by the temptation but don't follow through.

The social media influencers make a louder sound because the hard-working dietitians who are helping people are quiet. March was National Nutrition Month and we do hear more from dietitians during that time. Not so much from April to February.

As obesity rises, Big Food and dietitians push 'anti-diet' advice (The Washington Post)

Are online dietitians influenced by food industry money? (The Current from CBC Radio)

20 years ago this month, I was that person who needed help. My doctor turned me over to a certified diabetes educator who was helpful on the basics. I did a lot of research in the coming weeks. I shook a lot of bad habits and added some good habits.

I hit a plateau and figured out to ask, "how do I get out of a plateau." I changed some things and I was moving in a good education.

My anxiety and depression make eating these days a struggle. I know what to do but I struggle to do them properly.

I know enough to know if I was being scammed or sold a false bill of goods. The food system, especially in the United States, is a raging river and most people don't even have a raft. The bad people speak up because the good people don't, until someone in the media writes about it, and then they whine about the media.

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Woman's Day exposing food myths led to more food myths

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (the new name for the old American Dietetic Association) has a Code of Ethics (really!). Here is Part 2a:

Nutrition and dietetics practitioners shall: Disclose any conflicts of interest, including any financial interests in products or services that are recommended. Refrain from accepting gifts or services which potentially influence or which may give the appearance of influencing professional judgment.

If you are a dietitian, ask yourself if you follow these guidelines. Also ask if you should care if dietitians violate the letter and spirit of the Code of Ethics. We should care.

Some of the dietitians' angst toward The Washington Post centers around this story from last fall on similar concerns.

Dietitians truly have it rough because they get all this education and then there are financial pressures to sell out to corporate interests so you can put your own food on your table, whatever food choices you make. Society benefits from dietitians free of conflicts. Try to find a dietitian who seems ethical and ideally doesn't have a ton of sponsorships, revealed or otherwise.

photo credit: The Washington Post

Canada (finally) introduces a national school lunch program

We have written a few pieces noting that our friends in Canada don't have a national school lunch program. Canada is the only G-7 country without a national school lunch program.

The federal budget details will become more clear on April 16. The Trudeau Government has leaked the idea of spending $1 billion over 5 years on a national school food program. The government hopes the program will start delivering meals to students by the fall.

The government target is to provide meals to 400,000 more kids outside of those currently getting food from local school food programs. Plenty of kids are getting school lunch even now; more kids are going hungry.

The debate has been on the radar. We wrote this story in 2017 and the topic wasn't new then either.

Canada has a few unique issues with putting together a national school lunch program. Let's look at them:

-- Education is run by the provinces. Provided school lunches are part of education, Canada would have 10 different provincial setups. Your lunch in Quebec may be way different than lunch in Saskatchewan.

-- Some Canadians are very happy with their current school lunch program. A lot of parents like that their kids come home for lunch.

-- Canada has a lot of rural territory. A program that serves Winnipeg, the largest city to the south, and Churchill, a tiny, far north post, in Manitoba.

-- Some northern programs may currently be geared toward Indigenous students and those parents may worry about federal controls over their local school lunch programs.

Where school lunches funding generally is consistent in European countries, Canada could be vulnerable to school lunch funding cuts when the Conservative Party is in charge. School lunch funding is way more political in the United States, though if Canada develops a federal program, that could be a part of the Canadian political landscape.

Canada does have advantages over the United States, as an example. Canadians are more trusting of government in general. A low bar but still relevant. The prime minister is a former teacher who knows the value of learning when children have full stomachs.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau understands the correlation between full bellies and academic success in the classroom.

Unlike in the United States, the political system in Canada makes passing such legislation a lot easier. The federal Liberal Party government is a minority government; the NDP (definitely) and Bloc Quebecois (likely) would be on board for this legislation. The Canadian Senate may take its sweet time but a bill will eventually get passed into law.

Canada election 2019 is underway and food policy should be discussed

Argument is getting louder for Canada to have a federal school lunch program (2017)

Canadian Senate suggests food policy changes U.S. should copy

Celebrating Full Frontal with Samantha Bee for fighting for a better food system

Hospital patients, school children both need better focus on nutrition

Not all of the pushback will be poorly considered. The mantra of "we are feeding kids locally right now" is likely true in many parts of Canada. The idea behind a federal program, even if distributed by the provinces, is to cover more people and set some standards across the board.

I wish I had a better sense of the options Canadian children currently get either through local programs or home options to go back during the school day.

Some of that pushback will be politically oriented. "He's buying votes." "Why is he doing this now 9 years into his government?" As for the former question, you can buy votes with many other topics that aren't school lunch. As for the latter question, Canada's food insecurity may be more of a factor in 2024 than it was in 2015 when Trudeau was first elected.

BalanceofFood.com school lunch coverage

BalanceofFood.com Canada food policy coverage

Whenever we first found out about Canada not having a national school lunch program, the first thought was "Maybe Canada doesn't need an actual federal school lunch program." The United States has been a poor example where non-inflationary financial adjustments are rarer than eclipses. There isn't an incentive to do well by school children south of the 49th parallel. Canada will only benefit with a federal school lunch program if the standards are higher, even in provinces run by conservative governments.

video credit and photo credit: CBC News