The Commerce of Obesity

In an interview with Pam Killeen of Crusador, Dr. Marion Nestle, noted food expert and author of Food Politics and Safe Food, reveals some interesting facts about the marketing of junk foods that have led to the obesity epidemic, including:

• The appalling American diet may be, in part, collateral damage from having a food supply that provides 3,900 available calories for every man, woman, and child, resulting in a hypercompetitive market
• Sugary breakfast cereals, even those advertising themselves as having whole grains or added vitamins, are basically cookies
• The American Heart Association makes money by endorsing low-fat foods, even if those foods are high in fattening sugars
• American federal dietary guidelines have been overcomplicated to the point that they are basically useless

Health Lies Exposed September 11, 2005 Dr. Mercola's Comment: You'lldefinitely want to read this insightful interview with Dr. Marion Nestle, one of this nation's leading experts in understanding the commercial influences on your nutrition. She reallyunderstandsthe commerce of obesity, meaning what processed food companies will do to sell their products at the expense of your health. Interestingly, the interview began with an apology, of all things, from Dr. Nestle, because she felt bad about ignoring the vital link between agriculture and nutrition for far too long, which is more important than ever now with the rise in genetically modified foods. Dr. Nestle, quite wisely, isn't fond of most processed cereals -- chock full of marshmallows, chocolate and candy as well as extra sugar and flour -- which are, as she rightly points out, "Desserts in disguise." She also slammed the most recent Food Pyramid, which hasn't been much of an improvement over previous modelsand emphasized a "one-size-fits-all" approach. In other words, a recipe for disaster! Just another reason to remind you, if you haven't done it already, to take your free test to determine your body's unique metabolic type. Many of us fail to appreciate the profound influence of the quality of the soil and the specific farming techniques used and how it influences the nutritional characteristics of the foods you eat. If this is an area of interest for you, then you will certainly want to visit Acres USA,which publishes the only magazine related to sustainable agriculture. They are the equivalent of mercola.com in the farming community and provide the most incredible information about soil health and how it ultimatelyinfluences your health. They also have some amazing live events that bring together the top people in this important field.