More Claptrap from the American Dietetic Association

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More Claptrap from the American Dietetic Association

by Dr. Jonny ·

The American Dietetic Association is at it again, working tirelessly to

make sure that the only nutrition information you get is from members of

their union.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it now: I consider the American

Dietetic Association one of the most destructive influences on eating

behavior in America.

They never met a government policy they didn’t like. They believe

supplements aren’t important. They’ve continue to promote high-carb

low-fat diets. They believe there’s no such thing as a bad food, no

surprise since a huge percentage of their corporate sponsorship comes

from industry and Big Food. They’ve never had an original thought in

their collective head.

One small story about the ADA that may help shed light on just what

they’re all about. The American Dietetic Association once tried to stop

the late nutritionist Shari Lieberman, PhD, CNS, RD from using her RD as

a professional credential.

Why, you ask? Because she broke from the party line and actually

recommended vitamin and mineral supplements.

Lieberman sued the ADA, won full rights to her degree, then promptly

stopped using it. “The CNS exam asks you what enzyme activates the

pancreatic enzyme trypsinogen into its active form”, she once told me.

“The RD exam asks you questions like “how do you make a lemon merenguie

pie.”

Remember, folks, next time you’re in a hospital, these are the people

responsible for the jello, mashed potatoes and apple juice.

Asking the American Dietetic Association to be the final say in

nutrition education is like asking the Taliban to teach a college course

in world religions at Harvard.

This time the ADA is up to its old tricks again, working behind the

scenes to try to insure that anyone who is not an RD will be unable to

dispense advice about nutrition. In California, the bill eliminates from

legitimate nutrition counseling practice all CNs, CNSs, CCNs, and those

with graduate degrees including PhD’s.

The fine for practicing “dietetics” (a vague and incompletely defined

term) without an RD is $1000.00 and/or six months in jail.

They’ve done this before, notably in Wisconsin and New York, and now

they’re trying to do it in California.

Here’s the drill. Lobbyists for the ADA- with lobbying firepower second

only to the NRA — attempt to get legislation passed to create stringent

licensing for all nutrition professionals. Sounds good, right? They hide

behind the mask of trying to “protect” the public from unscrupulous

practitioners and unqualified “experts”, something no one- let alone

time-pressed legislatures – would object to.

After all, who would object to licensing professionals? Who wouldn’t

vote for a bill to protect consumers and make sure that people

practicing in the health field knew what they’re talking about?

Problem is, it’s all a crock. The only purpose of the legislation is to

limit the practice of nutrition to RDs only.

This is union protectionism at its worst. The ADA essentially fights to

keep anyone who is not in their “union” from practicing nutrition. This

includes- hold on to your hats- MDs, Chiropractors, Clinical

nutritionists, licensed acupuncturists, CNS’s, CCNs and even folks with

a masters degree in nutrition. Under the ADA- sponsored bills, my friend

Mark Houston, MD– a professor of medicine who also holds a masters in

nutrition from the rigorous Bridgeport University nutrition program—

would not be able to dispense nutritional advice professionally.

If you think these bills are about protecting the public, I’ve got a

nice bridge near Brooklyn I’d like to sell you.

One recent horror story: Liz Lipsky, PhD, one of the foremost

nutritionists in the country, was denied licensure in North Carolina and

is now appealing through the courts. She sent in her CV, doctoral

thesis, doctoral course materials, master’s thesis, CCN scope of

practice, descriptions of every course she had taken that might meet

their minimum qualifications, lists of all conferences she has attended

since 1979, papers she’s published, books she’s written, etc.

She was still denied licensure because she didn’t meet their “minimal

requirements” (an RD- aka “union card”).

Yet the ADA would have you think that these politically motivated bills

are about protecting the public against advice they might get from the

likes of Dr. Lipski.

I’m frequently asked about the differences between dietitians and

nutritionists, so here’s the executive summary:

Dietitians

*have a policy that there is no such thing as a good or bad food. They

endorse white refined sugar, egg beaters (fake eggs), Ensure, Mc’s

meals, and chemical and bioengineered additives including MSG and rBGH

bovine growth hormone.

*are extremely cautious in recommending supplementation, and in the

circumstances when their policy does allow for this, it is limited to

the RDA (recommended daily allowance suggested by the US govt.)

Nutritionists

*recognize the positive and negative effects of different foods, such as

the type of fat content, amount of processing/refinement, and chemical

properties and additives, including as they relate to clinical conditions.

*utilize current bio-nutrient research to recommend diets and/or

supplements appropriate for individual’s specific condition.

Examination Preparation

An excellent way to illustrate the difference between Dietitians and

Nutritionists is by the test question categories used by their

certification boards to evaluate skills.

Registered Dietitian Certification

Majority of questions (60%) are on non-science topics, such as:

Purchase of kitchen equipment and its placement for efficient

operation.

Institutional cooking and food preparation techniques

Inventory control and buying practices

Labor management, time management, etc.

Economics

Government programs such as food stamps, surplus, etc

Nutritionist Certification

Majority of questions (over 90%) are on nutrition science topics such as:

Human anatomy and physiology

Disease states

Metabolic pathways

Interpretation of blood and urine analysis as it pertains to

nutritional status

Drug and nutrient interactions

Vitamin, mineral, amino acid, and dietary and herbal therapies

What you also need to know is that virtually all the information you get

about nutrition from popular magazines can be linked back to some

official party line from the American Dietetic Association. Trust me, I

know. Having written for popular magazines for almost 20 years and dealt

with editors and administrators from almost every well-known publication

in America, I can tell you that most are almost afraid to publish

anything about nutrition that does not contain the phrase, “According to

a spokesperson from the American Dietetic Association..”.

When I hear the phrase, “According to a spokesperson from the American

Dietetic Association….”, I run the other way.

I’m all for licensing and for professional standards.

But the idea that only RDs meet the requirements for licensing is simply

absurd.

It’s a political maneuver by the ADA which has absolutely nothing to do

with protecting the public, and everything to do with protecting its

membership.

Shame on you, American Dietetic Association.

Once again.

http://jonnybowdenblog.com/american-dietetic-association/