Wednesday, April 23, 2008

In defense of nutritional scientists

Have any of you read Michael Pollan’s newest book, “In Defense Of Food”? I like his advice that we should eat real, unprocessed foods. As a nutritional scientist, I have always told people that this is the easiest way to eat healthily. So why does Pollan claim that nutritional scientists are the bad guys who have been the cause of American reliance on processed, unhealthy foods? Because he is a journalist, and that is a common journalistic technique. Invent a conflict where there is none.
Well, there actually is a conflict, but scientists are not as central as Pollan would claim. The guilty parties who have been confusing the public by advertising the virtues of fake foods with few nutrients like vitamin drinks, are food companies who want to make money. The guilty parties who have been wreaking havoc with overly simplistic pronouncements like “don’t eat fat”, and “don’t get your vitamin D from the sun”, are medical doctors and their professional associations such as the American Heart Association.
Hey, by inventing a conflict with Michael Pollan can I sell more of my book, “Fat Is Not The Enemy”?

Friday, April 11, 2008

Did you know that you need some sunlight?

I hate seeing people completely covered up so that no sunlight touches their skin. Sure, that may reduce the risk of some skin cancers, but it will also increase the risk of vitamin D deficiency, osteoporosis, and probably breast cancer.

As with all things nutritional, moderation is the key- you need about 15 minutes of sunlight per day on your arms and legs (more if your skin is dark) in order to make vitamin D. Don't fool yourself that the tiny bit of vitamin D added to milk is enough- spend some time in the sun and your body will make hundreds of times as much as is added to a cup of milk.

Probably because we all spend so much more time blogging than sun bathing, recent studies have found low vitamin D levels in well over half of the people they test, including kids in Georgia and the northeastern U.S.

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

My first blog

I love to talk about food and shopping for food and cooking food and about all the healthy nutrients that are in good-tasting foods. I like to come up with recipes for people that contain the vitamins and minerals that will help them with their specific health concerns. I like to tell people what nutritional scientists really know (and don't know). Nutritional scientists actually know a lot of useful things that you have little way of accessing, regardless of what Michael Pollan says. What we know has been distorted and misrepresented by organizations that you would hope you could trust, such as the American Heart Association and the American Dietetics Association. If you want good nutrition advice, don't go to a journalist, a medical doctor, or ads & products created by companies trying to sell products, ask a nutritional scientist. You can find out more about me at my website: http://www.healthyfat.com.