The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) is the gift that keeps on giving. To me, they provide me with many blog posts and newsletter articles.
I am not only one receiving gifts from the AND. Kraft Foods just received the first endorsement of a food product from the AND. AND is a trade group representing 75,000 registered dieticians. I have written about the AND in many other blog posts ( http://112.196.20.91/drbrownstein/time-to-get-rid-of-a-bad-law/). Recently, I wrote how AND was trying to pass a law in every state that would mandate that only registered dieticians would be allowed to discuss nutrition with a patient. Any other individual discussing nutrition with a person would be subject to penalties and jail time. Thank goodness, in Michigan, we repealed that idiotic law.
Kraft Singles individual cheese slices received the AND’s permission to use the new “Kids Eat Right” label. This was reported in a New York Times article (3.13.15) which claimed it was a “major coup” for the Kraft Foods Group.
Kraft Singles is the first food chosen by the AND to receive its’ endorsement? Yougottabekiddingme!
I looked up the ingredients of Kraft Singles. It is a highly processed food that contains milk protein concentrate. What is milk protein concentrate? Milk protein concentrate is made from a highly industrialized process that includes exposing milk to high heat, harsh mechanical processes and spray drying. In fact, during the manufacturing of milk protein concentrate, all the minerals are removed. I highly doubt that the final product is worthy of ingestion. Milk protein concentrate is certainly not what healthy milk is supposed to be.
Furthermore, Kraft Singles are packaged in plastic. Plastic, when it touches food, can leach endocrine-disrupting chemicals into food.
Although Kraft Singles is certainly not the worst food product out there, I firmly believe it has no business receiving the inaugural seal from the AND. Why not pick a vegetable or fruit? I guess the vegetable and fruit farmers aren’t worthy of the AND seal. And, perhaps, the vegetable and fruit farmers do not donate enough money to AND.
Would anyone like to bet whether Kraft Foods Group donates to the AND? KRAFT Foods has been on the approved list for AND continuing education providers and they frequently exhibit at AND meetings.[i] The AND should be an independent organization free of corporate sponsorship. Until that occurs, it is best to ignore most, if not all, of what they say.
DrB
[i] Accessed from: http://www.eatdrinkpolitics.com/wp-content/uploads/AND_Corporate_Sponsorship_Report.pdf
Thank you, thank you for speaking the truth. It seems that today there is evidence of no commonsense and knowledge of truth. May I leave you with this . . .
Do not allow ignorance keep you in the dark.
Seek truth!
LOOK! Dietitians do speak-up and LOOK! AND listens – this just in. Yes, not a perfect organization, but a responsive one.
http://mailer.eatright.org/read/archive?id=3257&mid=22441887&e=lafogleman%40gmail%2ecom&x=8a122c87
Nicolette: Fair game when Dr. Brownstein says MOST RDs know nothing about nutrition (twice in the posts above – “unfounded blanket remarks”!). Based on your reply, you didn’t read my comment very well. Most MDs, who have one, maybe two classes in nutrition during medical school, will admit they don’t know much about nutrition. And why would we expect them to? They have plenty of other things to learn and know. I never said Dr. Brownstein wasn’t knowledgable, but MOST RDs certainly know a lot about nutrition. And over 50% have master’s or Ph.Ds in the subject. That will only grow now as a master’s in nutrition will be a minimum academic standard to enter the profession.
The original article topic was about AND and Kraft Corporation’s new relationship (which is wrong), not bashing how much dietitians don’t know or how dietitians are trying to keep the practice of nutrition to themselves! Educate yourself on the real facts and why licensing is important. Here you will get the actual facts: http://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/111412p46.shtml
What’s detrimental is spreading lies that RDs are only after job protection and know know nothing about nutrition – I can’t imagine telling an MD, with all the years of training they have, that most know nothing about medicine. Bye – enjoy.
Wow, Ms. Fogelman. Before you skewer Dr. Brownstein, you should be aware that historically, he studies everything, uses meta-analyses, is aware of origins, and does not make unfounded blanket remarks. Unsubscribe to your detriment.
No organisation or profession should have sole rights to speak on any subject, no matter the nature of the subject. Anything else is wholly unconstitutional. There is nothing more to be said.
Wow, Dr. Brownstein! Yes, most MDs don’t know a lot about nutrition. After all, MOST only get one or two classes. You apparently haven’t worked with many RDs, or if you have, they were former hospital cafeteria ladies, turned RD from the 1950s. You need to get out more often. I think I will unsubscribe now.
Dr B.
As an RD, it’s sad to see this. Like others have said, most RDs are actually upset about the Kraft endorsement by the Academy.
As far as “passing laws for who can speak about nutrition”, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Laws for practicing a certain trade is actually wise and much like medicine, there needs to be standards of practice.
That standard should be state licensing. I personally don’t mind other educated non-RDs speaking about nutrition. As long as they are educated in the field, I believe that they should be able to receive licensing in order to practice nutrition. But we have to create a standard for practicing nutrition, as much as AND has screwed up with their sponsorship such as Coke and Kraft.
RDs just need to start putting their foot down against the Academy and these illogical decisions that impact the brand of all RDs, even outside the Academy.
JR,
Thanks for commenting. Two things:
1. Do you really want more laws and more government oversight on nutrition? I don’t. And, if there is a law, it should exclude all RD’s and MD’s since they know almost nothing about nutrition.
2. Why would anyone support a corrupt organization? The only way it will change is by members leaving and forming their own group.
DrB
Patricia: are you sure you didn’t see a diet technician, registered or a food service employee? They often will take menu orders not the RDs. I have never seen a 300 pound dietitian.
Back in the mid 70s, while working in a medical practice as a Board Certified Clinical Nutritionist, I was attacked by the RDs for practicing “diatitionary”, if that is indeed a word. They were trying to pass this law here in this state and in three other states.
Back then they had a lot of clout from the medical profession. A physician friend of mine having a private practice and a hospital practice was over heard by a RD telling one of her patients to increase her supplemental Vitamin C. Because that recommendation would fallen into the the RD relm of control, the doctor lost her hospital privledges.
In my case, we went to court and they lost. The three states considering the law failed to pass it.
Bill,
It is sad to see nothing much has changed in 45 years.
DrB
It is sad that the people who study a topic as important as nutrition don’t know how to apply what they have learned. I am not an RD. Due to the fact that I have food allergies not diagnosed by a physician, but by my chiropractor, I follow nutrition very closely. I should like to thank Br B for all his work and knowledge that he shares with us !!!!!
I am a RDN clinician and am supremely disappointed with the AND Foundation’s decision to move forward with this endorsement of a food product. It is reprehensible and I am writing into the Academy’s House of Delegates along with many others regarding this to make our stance known. We are battling public perception when AND takes money from big food, but it’s not fair to associate this action with MY inability as a clinician to THINK for MYSELF.
I avidly read the most up to date science, combine that with feedback from patients and my training in more integrative practices such as using a gut healing protocol and food hypersensitivity training to give my patients the care that they deserve. Evidence based practice doesn’t mean taking the dietary guidelines and spitting them out to patients (I always explain to patients when government/major medical orgs are wrong and where I see the science going), it means comprehensively assessing someone’s healthcare needs and taking a multitude of factors into my recommendations (none of which endorse anything but real whole foods and certainly don’t push brands). You’re selling dietitians short.
Further, I haven’t read much of your site but I am beginning to see a trend in your commentary that proselytizes that ‘AND is trying to regulate who can talk about nutrition’. That is inaccurate. We work in a world in which CMS and the private insurers determine what medical credentials have sufficient training and expertise to provide reimbursable care. As someone who is credentialed with a wide variety of those providers to provide medical nutrition therapy to my patients, I had to go through an extensive credentialing process that started with the Education Department for New York state. I expect the same standard for my healthcare providers (MD and ancillary healthcare providers alike). I’m not sure if you realize this but that credentialing process is available to both individuals that have completed the RDN training as well as the CNS training (both include science based degree with accredited curriculum, supervised clinical training, board exam). CNS is run through a separate agency from CDR (which is separate from AND). In other words, states regulating licensure/certification and insurance companies want to make sure that when their constituents and patients (respectively) receive medical nutrition care, it is from someone who went through formal training. And that training doesn’t have to be associated with AND in any way. Furthermore, this ‘talk about nutrition’ refers to medical nutrition therapy; the act of getting an accurate medical history, allergies, medication reconciliation, cultural beliefs, surgical/hospitalization history, anthropometrics, and nutrition/physical activity history (upon other realms depending on your specialty) to tailor advice to the individual. This ‘talk about nutrition’ does not regulate those individuals that want to speak about general wellness, weight management, healthy eating, their own health experiences, cleansing, fad diets, etc. as they are not providing medical nutrition therapy.
I hope I’ve helped clarify a few things for you and not demonized the idea of the RDN more by being a, as you would call me, ‘free-thinker’. Nutrition is a young science and we are all working hard to help others help themselves in managing their health. I applaud you for calling out AND for their sponsorship practices, but please don’t be mean about the healthcare providers that decide to get the RDN credential. Thanks for your time in reading this.
Whitney,
Thanks for the comments. I read the law that was passed/repealed in Michigan. The law was vague and could apply to anyone speaking about nutrition.
I have always said (or maybe need to say more) that all RD’s are not to blame. But, my experience has shown that most know little about nutrition. The same can be said for my M.D. colleagues.
DrB
It’s truly scary what’s going on out there today. When I was in the hospital with pneumonia the Registered Dietician who came in to counsel me was way over 300 lbs. I have thyroid and low blood sugar problems and she ordered me lots of fruit and grains for my meals. What are they teaching them?!!!
Kraft and Coca-Cola are both “Bought”. Assuming now AND is also.
Learned about this movie just last week from another blog.
I cringed when I opened up your blog today. Another incidence of us RDs and our governing body AND being roasted by a respected holistic medical practitioner. I am glad to see some slow changes within our organization such as a small push towards the integrative and functional medicine certification process. I have lurked around the edges of this world for quite a while. I have parted ways emotionally with AND. I am studying to be credentialed as a CHN soon. After that an FDN. I will not choose any program that AND offers however. I don’t believe they truly have their finger on the pulse of what it means to practice functional medicine. There is also a splinter group that has broken off and formed “Dietitians for Professional Integrity.” A large faction of us realize that what our organization is doing is not in the best interests of human health. Thank you for your blog Dr. Brownstein, I always enjoy reading and learning from you.
Nicole,
Don’t cringe. I don’t cringe when the AMA writes or supports a nonsensical cholesterol guideline statement. I just try and educate my patients and others why they are wrong.
I am glad to hear that you are blazing your own path.
DrB
Dr. Brownstein: Exactly which AND recommendations regarding diet are you referring to as wrong? Dietitians actually dispense individualized advice based on a full history, labs, symptoms, etc. If you are a dietitian who respects science, you keep up with the science and that becomes your platform for counseling patients. A lot has changed since I was in school – it’s my job as a clinician to keep up with the science and provide nutrition advice accordingly. Also, it’s my job as a dietitian to collaborate with other health professionals whom I respect to see what’s working for their clients/patients despite the lack of scientific studies. Most of the bad advice (and I agree, a lot of it has been wrong) was based on scientific studies. So, is it AND or is it the scientific community that got us into this predicament? When you were in medical school, how much nutrition education did you receive? One or two classes? Dietitians learn more than just what therapeutic diet should be ordered in the hospital. It’s 4 years, plus 2 more for a master’s, plus a year-long internship in all aspects of nutrition care. It would be more complete if RDs today also became experts in functional and integrative medicine (with a nutrition focus). But this is a relatively new area of practice, don’t you agree? And to answer your question about why an intelligent person would be a member of AND: because it’s a huge community of diverse people interested in helping people others achieve maximum wellness through the power of food. Change takes time. Some of ANDs change is questionable, but some is very positive as I mentioned previously. Ellie: Dietitians do sometimes plan menus on very restrictive budgets in nursing homes, hospitals, schools, etc. I know because I was an intern in these areas. I chose not to go into these areas professionally because I would never be able to serve the high quality food I would want to serve. And yes, good quality, organic scratch cooking costs more! By the way, AND has never found me a job. I created that for myself as a private practice dietitian. Wouldn’t it be better if health care professionals attempted to learn from one another as opposed to bashing each other. I applaud Dr. Brownstein for breaking out of the traditional model of allopathic medicine. There are plenty of RDs who are doing the same in the nutrition space.
Why don’t the members of the AND stand up to this sort of corporate sneakiness? Any person with half a brain cell can tell that Kraft singles aren’t food, much less a healthy choice. Sounds like a huge gap between a well meaning membership and the intent of the leadership of that organization.
I agree with so much of the above. It is a sad week for those of us who are Registered Dietitians who work very much with an integrative and functional/holistic model. (and likely most other RD’s as well!) I am a member of AND simply because I am eager and determined to effect change, and the only way to do that is from within. I am an active board member of a practice group under AND called Dietitians in Integrative and Functional Medicine (www.integrativeRD.org) and we are working non stop to redefine the RD, and to be vocal and active in the House of Delegates at AND and to bring new policy to a very antiquated and industry focused organization. Please know that there are 1000’s of RDs out there who are rooting for these issues and want to see change at a fundamental level in the Academy. I graduated from and am now adjunct faculty at Bastyr University in Seattle, which espouses many of these integrative nutrition concepts and is slowly churning out amazing members of the nutrition community.
Mary,
I am so happy to read your comments. I hope you succeed.
DrB
So why do so many intelligent enlightened Registered dietitians belong to AND. I sure don’t belong to ADHA, but then I have never fit the team player requirement. True it does make it more difficult to get a job. So maybe that answers my question. Dr B is doing a wonderful job sharing his knowledge. Unfortunately much of it is like preaching to the choir and it is hard to change the public’s mind as it requires one to have all the supportive information readily accessible in our head like Dr B. Look at the food they serve in nursing homes, and senior centers. So frustrating and the menu is prepared by a registered dietitian. Sorry don’t mean to offend those who are trying to improve the situation.
Please note that not all “dietitians” feel this way and do not support this endorsement. Secondly after spending 6+ years of schooling specifically related to nutrition and completing an internship why shouldn’t we be the only ones allowed to provided nutrition counseling? And to support Ellie’s statement does this mean to group all dentists as being corrupt and persuaded by companies that sell bleach products. Perhaps Dr. B actually have a blog featuring a “dietitian” and really ask us what our stance is on foods, food companies and why we feel we are the nutrition experts.
Rebecca,
I know what the AND stance is–I learned it in medical school! And, it was (and still is) wrong. I don’t care if you have 60 years of schooling–learning the wrong things and promoting the wrong things leads to bad outcomes–see conventional medicine’s use of DES.
DrB
Dr. B, I just love how you so freely speak your mind… and the truth! You are one-in-a-million when it comes to health blogs.
And to Ellie, don’t you sometimes wish there was an island or a planet where we like-minded could retreat to raise our loved ones in health? I know I do!!
I am a Registered Dietitian and I completely agree with you Dr. B! You are absolutely right. AND sold out to corporations a long time ago. Just like the USDA and FDA, I don’t trust them as far as I can throw them.
Dear RD,
Not all RD’s follow lock-step with AND. I have met many who are free thinkers. Unfortunately, they all have to learn on their own as they were not taught correctly in RD school.
DrB
Thank you for this timely update. For our family’s health, it’s more difficult to know who to trust. Avoiding mental, emotional
and physical insults to our lives is a continual challenge.
Thank You Dr B!
Food scrutiny as well as AND scrutiny is certainly the order of the day!
This is the same frustrating truth – and most consumers and patients just don’t understand.
It is the same in dentistry. Bleaching teeth ruins the internal structure of teeth and harms the outer enamel – yet guess who teaches bleaching techniques at dental schools? They fail to explain the downside to the procedure – and the ADA ignores everything – as long as they get adequate donations from P and G.
There must be enough of us who know what is going on to do something – or do we just tell the public and hope they will believe us – before they ruin their health?
I certainly have to agree with every comment Dr. B made concerning Kraft Singles, they are a “Food Product” and not real cheese, just because they are the same color does not make them cheese in any way, shape, or form! It is so unfortunate that huge mega companies like Kraft support a group who support them, it is a quid-pro-quo if you ask me. We should all send emails and messages to Kraft to regroup and basically prove what they say with facts and studies. We have enough issues in the food market with excess sugar and excess table salt to support “food products”, what a name for cheese, you note that they don’t call it cheese right?
Dr. Brownstein,
I’ve been a member of AND for about 20 years. I’ve slowly watched this organization make some big mistakes, such as you mention. It’s unfortunate that AND has not remained free from corporate food influence. I have to say, the last conference I attended included a lecture about sugar sponsored by coca-cola. I was sickened as I thought the speaker now has to be very careful about what he says about sugar and sodas! As nutrition professionals, we are in the business of helping people avoid the foods these companies produce. However, despite this organizational mis-step, AND does support a large cadre of registered dietitians in specialty practices who genuinally care about proper patient care and are quite knowledgable clinicians. I’ve known many! Also, the AND is in the process of developing a training certificate in Integrative and Functional Nutrition because they recognize that this newer practice area is the future! Dietitians are trained very well in acute care nutrition therapy. They could be better trained in preventative nutrition. As you know, there is so much to learn and now, with epigenetics, we are beginning to understand so much more about how our genes can affect our health.
I do think states should regulate the dispersion of nutrition advice. There are a lot of unqualified people with no education in the sciences giving out incorrect and/or harmful information. However, there ARE a large variety of qualified practitioners out there other than R.D.s! The key is deciding who has the proper training and who doesn’t. Harm can certainly be done to someone with celiac, IBD, a kidney disorder or diabetes if the wrong advice is given.
Also, most cheese is wrapped in plastic! Probably the best kinds to eat are the ones with a rind on them, basically creating a barrier between the cheese and the plastic. Think Brie, etc. Or, fresh cheese, like mozzarella, packaged in water. Better yet, learn to make your own! No plastic required.
Laura,
Thanks for the comments. I do not doubt that RD’s (and most MD’s) want to help people. However, the facts are clear: Our dietary advice over the last 50 years or so has been incorrect. The results have been disastrous. We are suffering from a host of illnesses–diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease–due, in part, to what AND has been teaching/promoting. And, the AND wants to ensure that only RD’s can talk about nutrition? I think not. About nutritional advice, neither the AMA nor the AND is qualified. Over 95% of the nutritional information I was taught in medical school was wrong. Before AND develops a functional nutrition track, it should go back and acknowledge what they have been teaching all these years was wrong.
Just as I am not a member of the AMA, I cannot imagine why any intelligent, free-thinking RD would be a member of AND.
DrB
DrB
Don’t lump all RDs in favor of this most of us are appalled especially those practicing functional medicine!! There’s much upheaval right now among those I connect with and respect. It’s a sad day for us!! This is not a product we would put our stamp on!!
Angela,
I have met some very smart, educated RD’s who realized the party line was incorrect. My concern is with the AND. They tried to pass a law in all 50 states giving them the right to determine who can speak about nutrition. That is idiotic as they know little about nutrition.
DrB