Food Politics

Today I received an email for the American Dietetic Associaiton welcoming the Coca-Cola company as a corporate sponsor. As a rookie RD this type of announcement is perplexing and often disturbing. What is more bothersome is that the President of ADA refered to the American Public as consumers:
“Registered dietitians fill an important role in educating the public on food and nutrition. We look forward to working together to develop education programs that help consumers through a combination of a balanced eating plan and regular physical activity.”
How do I align myself with an organization that aligns themselves with industry more than social activism? Luckily I have found a DPG of dietitians that all seem to think the same way.

[...] just posted this message: “Today I received an email from the American Dietetic Association [ADA] welcoming the [...]

Several dietitians, including some members of the Dietetic Practice Group, Nutritionists in Complementary Care, have aligned themselves with responsible and ethical organizations such as the International and American Associations of Clinical Nutritionists, becoming Certified Clinical Nutritionists (CCN). We have obtained high quality and scientific education in functional medicine which educates us in individual biochemical assessment and the therapeutic application of diet and nutritional supplements in chronic disease. The emphasis of whole foods and indepth knowledge of their bioactive components, and the exclusion of processed foods underlies the healing approach. The Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) does not require competency in functional medicine or nutritional supplements, thus dietitians are not educated or prepared to help clients with questions or needs in this area. Instead, the American Dietetic Association (ADA) cautions the public to avoid nutrition supplements, often using terms such as “quackery” and “dangerous” in fear based messages.
Making the decision to obtain my CCN credential has been the most rewarding career growth, and I have numerous RD colleagues that feel the same way. See http://www.cncb.org for information on requirements for certification. Also, I suggest looking into the Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM) http://www.functionalmedicine.org for outstanding educational programs in nutritional medicine. IFM will be offering certification in 2009. You would be happy to know that several leading RD educators and researchers have been highly impressed with the functional medicine training, and are already working to incorporate it in selected undergraduate and graduate dietetics/nutrition programs. Progress is slow in any large organization such as ADA, but there are many phenomonal RDs that want to improve the system. When the ADA makes financial and politically based decisions such as partnering with junk food companies, they don’t speak for those of us with a conscience and who truly advocate for a healthier and non-toxic nation.
Coco Newton, MPH, RD, CCN
http://www.coconewton.com