DURING THE PAST TWO TO THREE DECADES, we have acquired substantial evi- dence that most chronic diseases in America can be partially attributed to bad nutrition. Expert government panels have said it, the surgeon general has said it and academic scientists have said it. More people die because of the way they eat than by tobacco use, accidents or any other lifestyle or environmental factor. We know that the incidence of obe- sity and diabetes is skyrocketing and that Americans' health is slipping away, and we know what to blame: diet. So shouldn't the government be leading us to better nutrition? There is nothing better the government could do that would prevent more pain and suffering in this country than telling Americans uneqUivocally to eat less animal products, less highly-refined plant products and more whole, plant-based foods. It is a message soundly based on the breadth and depth of scientific evidence, and the government could make this clear, as it did with cigarettes. Cigarettes kill, and so do these bad foods. But instead of doing this, the government is saying that animal products, dairy and meat, refined sugar and fat in your diet are good for you! The government is turning a blind eye to the evidence as well as to the millions of Americans who suffer from nutrition-related illnesses. The covenant of trust between the U.s. government and the American citizen has been broken. The United States government is not only failing to put out our fires, it is actively fanning the flames. DIETARY RANGES: THE LATEST ASSAULT The Food and Nutrition Board (FNB), as part of the Institute of Medi- cine (lOM) of the National Academy of Sciences, has the responsibility every five years or so to review and update the recommended consump- tion of individual nutrients. The FNB has been making nutrient recom- mendations since 1943 when it established a plan for the u.s. Armed Forces wherein it recommended daily allowances (RDAs) for each indi- vidual nutrient. In the most recent FNB report,1 published in 2002, nutrient rec- ommendations are presented as ranges instead of single numbers, as was the practice until 2002. For good health, we are now advised to consume from 45% to 65% of our calories as carbohydrates. There are ranges for fat and protein as well. A few quotes from the news release announcing this massive 900+ page report say it all. Here is the first sentence in the news release2: To meet the body's daily energy and nutritional needs while mini- mizing risk for chronic disease, adults should get 45% to 65% of their calories from carbohydrates, 20% to 35% from fat and 10% to 35% from protein ... . Further, we find: ... added sugars should comprise no more than 25% of total calo- ries consumed... .added sugars are those incorporated into foods and beverages during production [and] major sources include Let's take a closer look. What are these recommendations really say- ing? Remember, the news release starts off by stating the report's objec- tive of "minimizing risk for chronic disease."2 This report says that we can consume a diet containing up to 35% of calories as fat; this is up from the 30% limit of previous reports. It also recommends that we can consume up to 35% of calories as protein; this number is far higher than the suggestion of any other responsible authority. The last recommendation puts the frosting on the cake, so to speak. We can consume up to 25% of calories as added sugars. Remember, sugars are the most refined type of carbohydrates. In effect, although candy, soft drinks, fruit drinks, pastries and other sweets. the report advises that we need a minimum of 45% of calories as car- bohydrates, more than half of this amount (i.e., 25%) can be the sugars present in candies, soft drinks and pastries. The critical assumption of this report is this: the American diet is not only the best there is, but you should now feel free to eat an even richer diet and still be confident that you are "minimizing risk for chronic disease. " Forget any words of caution you may find in this report-with such a range of possibilities, virtually any diet can be advocated as minimizing disease risk. You may have trouble getting your mind around what these figures mean in everyday terms, so I have prepared the follOwing menu plan that supplies nutrients in accordance with these guidelines
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