The Debate

I have started writing for a web publication called Healthy Trucker. Too many people involved in that industry have such a challenge with their weight. It’s gotten so serious that new rules are being enforced regarding their weight that can impact whether they can keep their license to drive. Their livelihood will depend on their getting thinner and staying that way.

I am not the only diet and exercise contributor. The challenge is we have very little in common.

I think the dietician and I will agree that a whole food diet protocol is best.

From that point forward, much of the makeup of that diet as well as our approach to healthy eating is likely to be diametrically opposed; with no resolution to the divergence coming anytime soon. We are playing on two different teams.

My experience has shown (and I’m not alone in my position) that what has become conventional dietary wisdom is seriously flawed. I can cite where the science got off track in the 1970’s and our health system has never turned back to acknowledge the errors made. In fact, many organizations have continued to compound and distribute the misinformation throughout the medical community, including the curriculum used to certify dieticians.

The dietician and I can quote our sources and distribute video clips all day long to support our polarized opinions. We are not likely to accept the position of the other, but if the dietician is interested in the newest science developments as they relate to what is wrong with the ‘old system’ then I suggest she consider beginning to follow some of the leading-edge experts. You might be interested in some of these too.

Gary Taubes is a good guy to start with. Gary wrote a book called, Good Calories Bad Calories. It’s about 800 pages long and clearly lays out how America got fat. It’s one of the best books on nutrition I’ve read. It’s targeted at doctors, including a detailed understanding of the science involved. A dietician will be fascinated at the remarkable conclusions drawn in this book. If the reader prefers the easier-to-digest version, Gary recently released his newer book, How We Get Fat. That one is written for the lay person, so s/he can get a clear understanding of the problem.

Dr. Robert Lustig is another interesting fellow who recently appeared on 60 Minutes. As a pediatric endocrinologist I would think he’d be in good standing with any dietician. Dr. Lustig’s mission to prevent obesity in children is a worthy cause. Watch his lecture called “Sugar. The Bitter Truth” on You Tube and get an earful. There is also a 7 part series on why we get fat that is highly informational. I recommend it to all of my clients. The controversial bits about how calories in/calories out has nothing to do with weight gain will be enlightening. Dr. Lustig will go into great detail about how a calorie is not a calorie as conventional doctrine espouses.

That’s just a start. But for a quick jumping-off point here’s a piece that came in my email just yesterday. Tom Naughton is talking about a new organization that approaches diet much the same way I do. Slim is Simple. They just got their funding for a series of videos presented in a community service format.

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