Diet as prescription? How about diet as PREVENTION!

Ever had a friend or family member with a health issue (anything from tummy issues to arthritis to ADD) and a doctor suggests changing their diet? Typically eliminating either grains, dairy, processed food, or all three. Boy, I sure have. In her books, Jenny McCarthy details how her own experiments with her son Evan's diet dramatically alleviated his autistic behaviors. Of course, he still has autism. And of course, she combined these dietetic changes with behavioral therapy. But she'll be the first to say she's convinced that eliminating grains and dairy from his diet produced a completely different child. I have PLENTY of stories like that from people in my own life.

So, doctors are really smart people, right? I'm related to a couple. Friends with many more. They're really smart, typically very caring people. They want us to be healthy and live long healthy lives. So, for me, this begs a question. If in many situations doctors think it's a good idea to eliminate grains, dairy and/or processed food to alleviate symptoms of disease, then why do so many of them preach a diet of 6 - 11 daily servings of grains, 2 - 3 daily servings of dairy, and no ban on processed food as long as it is low-fat?

Unfortunately, I think I have the answer. The April 2009 issue of The American Journal of Cinical Nutrition found that "the amount of nutrition education in medical schools remains inadequate." Doctors know a lot more about pharmaceuticals than they do about nutrition. That's not a judgment. I don't know anything about auto mechanics. No biggie. I didn't go to school for it. So if not doctors, then who should we be listening to about what to eat in order to, ahem, live long and prosper? Dieticians? They went to A LOT of school to learn about nutrition. Okay, schools accredited by whom? -- by the American Dietetic Association. The ADA. The preeminent institution for nutrition research and recommendation. Question: Who funds their research? The official Web site for the ADA is www.eatright.org. If you go to their Food & Nutrition Information section, you will find fact sheets on all things deemed "healthy." Open any one of these fact sheets and scroll down to the bottom right corner to see who "sponsored" (paid them for) that document. Barley: A Healthy Heart Solution provided by ... The National Barley Foods Council. Diglyceride-Rich Oils (such as soybean, corn and peanut oils) provided by ... Enova Brand Oil. The Benefits of Chewing Gum provided by ... Wrigley Science Institute (sound familiar? As in Wrigley's spearmint gum?). Notice a trend?

The ADA is not evil. On the contrary, I think they truly exist to make our nation healthier. The problem here is not motive. The problem is integrity. I don't have a solution for them. Because I don't know where else they would get the money to fund their research and public relations but taking money from FOR-PROFIT organizations completely dilutes their message. Affiliating with special interest groups of any kind makes everything you say suspect.

I don't know for sure that Paleo is the exact right prescription for our bodies. But I am damn sure the Food Pyramid isn't it. I will keep digging and keep you posted on my opinions. I know you're on the edge of your seat. :-)

Tuesday log

Meal #1: Coffee with pumpkin spice creamer; scrambled omega-3 eggs with 1/2 an avocado, organic tomato salsa; 1 fresh mango

Coffee creamer is my non-negotiable Paleo indiscretion. And I don't care.

Workout: Walked Parker 30 minutes

I haven't been including this as my workout, but I walk the dog for a half-hour every morning, and that totally counts!!

Meal #2: 1 oz. natural almonds (unsalted); 1 small box raisins

Meal #3: Leftover tuscan soup (veg broth, tomatoes, sausage, spinach, cauliflower)

Meal #4: Tomato, cucumber, avocado salad w/ olive oil, lime

juice, a little salt and pepper; rotisserie chicken breast

Again, it gives me a little heartburn to buy grocery store rotisserie chickens because I know they come from wretched conditions, but it's just so much more convenient and cost-effective than buying and cooking organic poultry each week. I am ashamed!!

Meal #5: Chili w/ free-range buffalo meat, green bell pepper, red onion, canned diced tomatoes, chili powder, cumin, crushed red pepper

I also tried to make "cauli-rice" to go with this ... cauliflower in the food processor then microwaved and fluffed like rice. It looks good on the Internet. In real life, it's very stinky. I ate it with my chili for dinner but threw away the leftovers.