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Authors: Linda Bacon
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BOOK: Health At Every Size: The Surprising Truth About Your Weight
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One large study followed 78,000 women and found no evidence that higher intakes of milk reduced bone fracture incidence or osteoporosis.
228
In fact, researchers found a higher risk of hip fracture in women drinking two or more glasses per week compared to women who drank one or less per week.
228
In fact, researchers found a higher risk of hip fracture in women drinking two or more glasses per week compared to women who drank one or less per week.
It is true that milk contains calcium, an important component of bone strength, but it also contains acidic amino acids that cause your body to excrete calcium, which may partially explain why people who consume large quantities of dairy products don’t show lower rates of osteoporosis. Reducing calcium loss may play a larger role in promoting strong bones than increasing calcium consumption. Milk is also low in some nutrients that promote calcium absorption.
I grew up believing that consuming dairy products is essential for a strong and healthy body and that every child should drink milk daily. I now know these to be myths; they are promoted by health officials primarily because the National Dairy Council is extremely powerful at lobbying. They are also smart marketers. The Dairy Council is one of the leading suppliers of materials used to teach nutrition education in the schools. In this way, the Dairy Council shapes our beliefs under the guise of public service.
My point here is not that milk is poison and to be avoided—just that it doesn’t do the job it is promoted for. If our government wants to promote a certain food, there are other foods that would do a better job of supporting the health of a broader spectrum of our population. Politics, not scientific data, dictate dairy promotion and our staunch, almost religious, belief in its health-promoting qualities.
Currently, most child nutrition programs (such as the National School Breakfast Program and the National School Lunch Program) require that milk be offered. Not only does the government mandate its inclusion in programs and promote milk, but it subsidizes the industry, essentially guaranteeing profits for dairy owners.
229
These subsidies are in large part due to the strong lobbying efforts by the dairy industry, which is one of the most influential industries in Congress.
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These subsidies are in large part due to the strong lobbying efforts by the dairy industry, which is one of the most influential industries in Congress.
229
One reason the government is so vulnerable to industry influence is the conflict of interests that exist within the primary governmental body responsible for public nutrition education, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Note the
Agriculture
in their name. Another purpose of this agency is to promote agriculture, and its recommendations are designed, in part, to support agribusiness. These dual roles sometimes conflict with each other, which is why public nutrition education is often a compromise between what is best for industry and what is best for the consumer.
Agriculture
in their name. Another purpose of this agency is to promote agriculture, and its recommendations are designed, in part, to support agribusiness. These dual roles sometimes conflict with each other, which is why public nutrition education is often a compromise between what is best for industry and what is best for the consumer.
For example, the USDA halted publication of the 1991 Eating Right Pyramid after meat and dairy trade groups objected to placement of their products in the pyramid. They then issued a watered-down version, the Food Guide Pyramid, revised to take into consideration industry’s objections.
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It would be pretty difficult for the government to give a recommendation like “eat less meat,” which is advice well accepted by those who study nutrition, without offending a powerful industry. The word choice in the Food Guide Pyramid is more palatable to the meat industry—“choose lean meats”—though less scientifically meaningful.
The USDA runs the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program. These programs allow millions of low-income students to receive a free or reduced-price lunch or breakfast every day. The bad news? The nutritional quality of those meals.
As discussed earlier, the USDA buys millions of pounds of surplus beef, pork, and other meat products to distribute to schools, but it does not subsidize more nutritious alternatives. That poses a tough dilemma for schools on a tight budget. It can cost a school district more than twice as much to provide a veggie burger instead of a hamburger. As a result, the government’s own School Nutrition Dietary Assessment Study has found that an astonishing 80 percent of schools serve too much artery-clogging food in the lunch line to comply with federal guidelines. This situation is quite profitable for the meat industry, especially when you consider that taste preferences are strongly established in childhood. Hook ’em while they’re young and get repeat customers for life.
The revolving door between the USDA and private industry has done much to inhibit sound nutrition policy. President George W. Bush, for example, appointed more than 100 top officials who were once lobbyists, attorneys, or spokespeople for the industries they oversee.
230
In many cases, former industry advocates have helped their agencies write, shape, or push for policy shifts that benefit the industries they used to work for.
230
230
In many cases, former industry advocates have helped their agencies write, shape, or push for policy shifts that benefit the industries they used to work for.
230
Even if not officially in public office, members of the agricultural industry serve on government committees that help draft nutrition policy. Suppose you need accurate information about the health impact of cigarette smoking. Would you call a tobacco company? Not a chance, right? Should the committee that helps the government draft nutrition recommendations be dominated by people who work within or have financial ties to the food industry? Of course not.
But that’s what happens. The USDA and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) formulate the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, including the Food Pyramid and other guidelines that make up the basis for all federal food programs, such as the National School Lunch Program. More than half the committee’s members have extensive ties to the meat, dairy, sugar, processed food, egg, and supplement industries.
Calorie consumption has increased dramatically in the last few decades
159
and much of the increase is attributed to processed and animal foods.
136
It is not a coincidence that these foods are most profitable to the food industry.
159
and much of the increase is attributed to processed and animal foods.
136
It is not a coincidence that these foods are most profitable to the food industry.
Years ago, before the advent of modern food manufacturing, most available foods were nutritious, farm-grown or farm-raised foods that sent messages to our weight regulation system. Our body read those signals, driving us to get calories in proportion to our needs.
However, modern food processing has changed that. Today, the cheap calories found in the saturated fats, trans fats, and high-glycemic carbohydrates common in today’s “industrial diet” don’t register as strongly in our weight regulation system and don’t turn off our hunger drive, thus pushing many of us to eat more despite getting sufficient calories. It is not surprising that much epidemiologic research shows a strong relationship between consumption of low-cost, processed foods and weight.
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The impact of industrial foods extends, of course, well beyond our weight. Indeed, many of the chronic diseases common today can be traced directly to the industrialization of our food. Data shows that simply by moving to America and adopting the industrial diet, people from nations with low rates of the “diseases of affluence” such as diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular disease quickly acquire them.
Of course, the United States is not alone in this trend. Indeed, most modern societies seem to be converging on the same dietary pattern. Most countries in Asia, Latin America, Northern Africa, the Middle East, and the urban areas of sub-Saharan Africa have all experienced a similar dietary shift—with related increases in these diseases (and weight)—over the last few decades.
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The more commonly recommended solutions merely reinforce industry’s interests. “Health foods” are typically even more processed versions of the same old industrial foods: they just reduce the fat, substitute artificial sweeteners for the sugar, bump up the fiber or soy protein, or fortify foods with added nutrients.
Industry defends itself by laying blame on the individual. Indeed, the key tactic for the Center for Consumer Freedom, the food industry’s front group and spin-maker, is “to promote personal responsibility and protect consumer choices.”
194
The general idea is that “No one forces the consumer to buy cheese puffs.” Government supports this strategy with a focused campaign on encouraging individuals to make better, more informed choices.
194
The general idea is that “No one forces the consumer to buy cheese puffs.” Government supports this strategy with a focused campaign on encouraging individuals to make better, more informed choices.
I care deeply about individuals’ freedom of choice and informed consent. I expect government agencies to serve the public good rather than corporate profit. I hold business and industry to a standard of social responsibility.
If you think I’m angry that corporations and government agencies have co-opted the production and distribution of food at the expense of our health and well-being, you’re right. I value the sensation of hunger as a sign of the body’s wisdom, not as a commercial asset to be manipulated for market share. I value food as nourishment, not as a unit of sales. I value our bodies as gifts of life, not as product-consumption devices.
While it is clear that our food choices are a matter of personal responsibility, it is important to recognize that we do not make our choices in a vacuum. We select our foods in an environment toxic with government policies that encourage cheap prices for foods with low nutrient value, and in which billions of dollars have been spent to convince us to distrust ourselves, to overeat, and to eat foods laced with ingredients that raise our setpoints and damage our health.
Don’t let industry and government distract you from their responsibility in providing good food and accurate information and promoting a healthy attitude towards eating. We have been deceived by faulty ideas, policies, and greed. Clearly, our current food environment needs a major overhaul. While we can’t fully legislate the problem away, we can certainly get muckraking and insist that industry and government do much, much better.
And the good news is that you can also make change on a personal level. You can relax. You don’t have to leap from your seat every time a new carcinogen or miracle food is hyped. Be cynical about the fads, headlines—and even the latest research findings. Develop your “media literacy” skills so that you are less likely to be suckered in. Become a more educated consumer so that you are less vulnerable to the myths and disinformation. When in doubt, a back to basics approach—getting your foods from nature, with less human interference—will serve you well. Most importantly, you can reclaim enjoyment of nutritious foods and reengage with your body’s ability to maintain a healthy weight. Future chapters show you how.
SIX
We’re Victims of Fat Politics
R
ichard Carmona, formerly the surgeon general, the highest government health official, described obesity as “the terror within, a threat that is every bit as real to America as the weapons of mass destruction.”
233
Six months before he made that grave pronouncement, terrorists had destroyed the World Trade Center. The country was on high alert and the fear of continued terrorist action was at the forefront of our minds.
ichard Carmona, formerly the surgeon general, the highest government health official, described obesity as “the terror within, a threat that is every bit as real to America as the weapons of mass destruction.”
233
Six months before he made that grave pronouncement, terrorists had destroyed the World Trade Center. The country was on high alert and the fear of continued terrorist action was at the forefront of our minds.
At your next family get-together, when your mom ladles that glop of gravy on your mashed potatoes, when she urges, “Eat, eat! It’s good for you!” and especially when she puts that second helping of apple crumb pie with whipped cream on your plate, call 911. Get that woman detained.
Then reflect on the craziness that underlies this “obesity epidemic”: Terrorists not only in our airports and cities, but in our kitchens. Cheeseburgers and French fries as weapons of mass destruction. Fat people as the living repository for American shame.
More than 400,000 Americans die of overweight and obesity
g
every year, so many that it may soon surpass smoking as the leading cause of preventable death.
234
At least that’s what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) told us in the prestigious
Journal of the American Medical Association
(
JAMA
). Their report grabbed headlines, helped along by dramatic, well-distributed press releases from the CDC and
JAMA
, and resulted in tens of thousands of citations in the popular press and thousands more in scientific journals.
g
every year, so many that it may soon surpass smoking as the leading cause of preventable death.
234
At least that’s what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) told us in the prestigious
Journal of the American Medical Association
(
JAMA
). Their report grabbed headlines, helped along by dramatic, well-distributed press releases from the CDC and
JAMA
, and resulted in tens of thousands of citations in the popular press and thousands more in scientific journals.
But an updated federal report acknowledged that the analysis suffered from computational errors.
235
Using better methodology and newer data, CDC epidemiologists
reduced the estimate fifteen-fold
, determining that obesity and overweight were only associated with an excess of 26,000 annual deaths, far fewer than guns, alcohol, or car crashes.
235
(Later in this chapter, we’ll discuss the behind-the-scenes politics that led to these reports.)
235
Using better methodology and newer data, CDC epidemiologists
reduced the estimate fifteen-fold
, determining that obesity and overweight were only associated with an excess of 26,000 annual deaths, far fewer than guns, alcohol, or car crashes.
235
(Later in this chapter, we’ll discuss the behind-the-scenes politics that led to these reports.)
Separating overweight from obesity reveals further interesting information. First, “
overweight” people live longer than “normal” weight people
. (In the year 2000, there were 86,000 fewer deaths in the overweight category relative to what was expected if people were in the normal range.) Next, the excess deaths in the obesity category were clustered in the more extreme range (body mass index [BMI] greater than 35), which is not where the majority of obese Americans fall (BMI 30 to 35).
overweight” people live longer than “normal” weight people
. (In the year 2000, there were 86,000 fewer deaths in the overweight category relative to what was expected if people were in the normal range.) Next, the excess deaths in the obesity category were clustered in the more extreme range (body mass index [BMI] greater than 35), which is not where the majority of obese Americans fall (BMI 30 to 35).
BOOK: Health At Every Size: The Surprising Truth About Your Weight
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