Don't Be Too Quick To Trust A Dietitian Who Sounds Like She Has A Prestigious Job
Much of what this one said in her HuffPo piece was wrong, wrong, wrong. This woman apparently wouldn't recognize science if it walked in the door on a leash held by Albert Einstein and bit her on the ass.
This particular dietary nitwit, Kristin Kirkpatrick, is described under her name as "M.S., R.D., L.D., dietitian and wellness manager, The Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute and the Cleveland Clinic Lifestyle 180 program."
Kirkpatrick opens her piece, "5 Things Never To Feed Your Child," by blaming fast food for her own weight problem. Of course, if anything's to blame, it's the bad dietary science the government put out (like the food pyramid created by an aide to George McGovern with no science appearance, per Gary Taubes' Good Calories, Bad Calories).
The "science" put out back then by the government is much like the bad dietary science Kristin puts out now in her post. But, first, the finger pointing at Ronald McDonald and friends by Kristin:
I remember it like it was yesterday. I was seven and, after school one day, my mom agreed to take me to my favorite fast food joint for a burger, fries and a cola because I did well on a test. As we pulled into the parking lot, my mouth started to water. I literally imagined putting the food in my mouth and the sweet taste of every chew. I was a picky eater and ordered my burger "plain." Since it was 1983, we were given a small yellow tent to put on top of our car because we had to wait for the "specially made" sandwich to come out. Those minutes seemed like hours. Obviously, this wasn't my first time eating fast food at my favorite place; the emotions I felt were conjured up from past memories that my stomach, brain and digestive hormones weren't soon to forget. Throughout the years, I appreciated my fast food treat more often than I should have and, by the time I was a teenager, I had a weight problem and needed to change my habits for my health.
My dad used to take us for a burger and fries when we'd sometimes go hang out with him at his office on a Saturday. Of course, fries were healthier back then, per what Dr. Mary Dan Eades said on my radio show, because they used to be cooked in lard or beef tallow (can't recall which, but it was one of them). The vegetable oils they cook them in now are terrible for you -- which you'd know if you follow science-based dietary medicine people like the Eades instead of "science"-based ones like this one.
Oh, and we didn't get fast food very often. My mom did that, you know, parenting thing, where you don't let your kids have stuff simply because they want it.
And finally, the things Kristin says never to feed your child (and, by implication, that you probably don't want to eat either):
•"Anything With Extremely Unnatural Coloring." Hmm, I could dye buttered, mashed cauliflower red with beets. Deeeebunked!
•"Cola" (agree with Kristin there, but it has less sugar than some juice...so if you're going to have orange juice...well, you might be better off, sugarwise, having a Coke. But, I'd make it one of those Cokes from Mexico with real sugar in it instead of HFCS).
•"Full Strength Juice." She talks about "if your child still requests juice," giving them watered-down juice. Um, juice is very unhealthy. Who's the mother here? Act like it and say no. (And no skim milk, either, which has very little food value. We need fat to be healthy. Good fat -- like the kind in milk.)
•"Quick Processed Meals." Yes, many are bad...but all? Don't think so. And not for the reason she says. She goes after salt. Not bad for healthy people -- just thought to be by people who don't know science. In fact, not having enough salt can be a problem. Oh, and the nit wit pulls a meta-analysis of 19 independent cohort samples -- cohort studies being the shit data arena of science (these are observational studies that find associations that could very well be neck-deep bullshit).
•"Hot Dogs And Lunch Meat." See my comment below.
My comment on the site (bets on whether it will be approved?):
This comment is pending approval and won't be displayed until it is approved.You had a weight problem because you ate the fries, cola and bun. Per Gary Taubes' "Why We Get Fat," it is carbohydrates -- sugar, flour, starchy vegetables like potatoes, apple juice -- that cause the insulin secretion that puts on fat. Your notion that juice is okay to drink is wrong. Sodium is not unhealthy (see Taubes' award-winning piece on salt in science, along with more recent pieces by people who are solid on science -- unlike you). Finally, here's junkfoodscience demolishing your notion about nitrates/nitrites. There are more in lettuce than a hotdog.
For those who like to base their diet on evidence rather than the "science" put out by this woman, turn to the work of Gary Taubes ("Why We Get Fat") and that of Doctors Michael and Mary Dan Eades. Michael Eades' blog is particularly helpful: http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/
Here's how that worked for a woman who actually understands science.
The link to Richard Nikoley's blog (link labeled "woman") goes to a 404 Not Found. Might want to edit that one. BTW, I remember reading that particular blogpost on Richard's site, and it was really good!
gharkness at January 30, 2012 2:38 AM
The junkfoodscience link is also broken (404).
Isn't this kind of thing typical for the CSPI (Center for Science in the Public Interest) which doesn't involve a lot of science or public interest?
And on the milk thing, non-pasteurized whole milk is even better for you than whole milk. Too bad you can't be an adult and decide for yourself if it's safe enough for you to drink.
DrCos at January 30, 2012 2:54 AM
Amy Alkon
https://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2012/01/dont-be-too-qui-2.html#comment-2945179">comment from DrCosLinks are fixed now. Thanks for letting me know!
Amy Alkon
at January 30, 2012 6:15 AM
She was fat, so the rest of us can't eat what we want? Makes perfect sense, right? if she can't have those things neither can anyone else.
momof4 at January 30, 2012 6:17 AM
While I agree I love the real sugar coke in glass bottles (I like the texture of the sugar and the bottle keeps the temp nice a bit longer) - your body doesn't really differentiate between HFCS and sugar. The body more or less immediately breaks each into its constituent sugars right away. http://skeptoid.com/episodes/4157
Eric at January 30, 2012 7:00 AM
Amy Alkon
https://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2012/01/dont-be-too-qui-2.html#comment-2945225">comment from EricThe body also looks at sugar in juice as sugar. The reason to drink the Coke with real sugar in it is that it tastes better! (Also, those glass bottles it comes in get really cold in the refrigerator.) If you're going to have a treat, have a treat and make it as treat-y as possible.
Amy Alkon
at January 30, 2012 7:07 AM
Tallow.
There was some vegetable oil, but the yummy flavor was due to the beef tallow in it.
So, when the hue and cry arose over animal fats, McD synthesized the compounds from tallow that they could isolate that gave that taste, and added it to their oil.
So a Hindu couple, IIRC, sued, since they were "tricked" into eating (synthetic) cow.
And yes, when I ate fries, I deep fried them in peanut oil, with a big hunk of saved-beef fat added.
Made all the difference in the world. Damn those tasty carbs and our woefully inadequate pancreases!
Amy: have you seen the video of the doctor explaining how the liver breaks down fructose?
Unix-Jedi at January 30, 2012 7:52 AM
(Or, now that I see someone commented and said "no real difference, I'll link to it:)
Eric:
As to sugar and HFCS being the same:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?&v=dBnniua6-oM
Sucrose is 1/2 fructose. So by definition, only 1/2 would be the "same" as 100% fructose.
HFCS is radically different in the body from Sucrose, as a result.
Unix-Jedi at January 30, 2012 7:58 AM
Where is a good place to find information about statin drugs, their side effects, and the link (or lack thereof) between cholesterol levels and heart disease.
Honestly I haven't paid much attention, but I learned over the weekend that my dad had been taking statin drugs that were prescribed for him because his cholesterol was high - yet his blood pressure was ideal, especially for his age. He said the side effects of the drugs were bad, so he finally just stopped taking them altogether and has never felt better. I even thought he LOOKED better!
I admit I am being lazy, but I know this topic has come up on the board before, and some of you have looked into this a lot already. Thanks!
Pirate Jo at January 30, 2012 8:19 AM
Amy Alkon
https://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2012/01/dont-be-too-qui-2.html#comment-2945290">comment from Pirate JoPirate Jo, look at http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/ -- he has a bunch there. Also, Tom D. Naughton. Will see if I can find the links for you -- on deadline, though. Might be able to pull out of message to friend.
Amy Alkon
at January 30, 2012 8:36 AM
Amy Alkon
https://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2012/01/dont-be-too-qui-2.html#comment-2945293">comment from Amy AlkonStatin links:
http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/statins/snake-oil-comes-in-all-kinds-of-bottles/
This link is devastating: http://healthydietsandscience.blogspot.com/2012/01/jupiter-statin-trial-biased-sham.html?spref=tw
Dr. Eades said so in 2008: http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/cardiovascular-disease/1853/
More: http://www.businessweek.com/print/magazine/content/08_04/b4068052092994.htm
Another: http://healthydietsandscience.blogspot.com/2012/01/jupiter-statin-trial-biased-sham.html?spref=tw&fb_source=message
These are all from an email exchange with a friend. (I'm posting them through my software, which is why I can post more than one link without it going to spam).
Amy Alkon
at January 30, 2012 8:39 AM
Amy, thanks a million! I sent all those links to my parents and plan to read all of the articles myself.
I found myself getting mad at the stuff my folks were telling me. These medical people are always trying to get them to take a bunch of tests. They wanted my mom to get a colonoscopy, of all things, just as a matter of course - and tons of tests of every other type, as well. I'm sure it's because my parents are old enough that Medicare covers it now.
My dad couldn't believe how much better he felt after he stopped taking the statins. It sounds like they really pressured him into it. He had finally gone to the clinic and complained about the side effects, and they told him he might be able to "get by" for a month if he stopped taking them. He felt so much better in every way, he decided never to take them again. I think the people at his doctor's office have been hoodwinked by a bunch of slick pharmaceutical salesmen.
I only go to the doctor if I'm unable to stop my own bleeding, and that's how it's going to continue to be.
Pirate Jo at January 30, 2012 9:40 AM
Amy Alkon
https://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2012/01/dont-be-too-qui-2.html#comment-2945366">comment from Pirate JoSo glad those helped. Please, everybody, spread them around.
Amy Alkon
at January 30, 2012 10:16 AM
But she has all those letters after her name, and Amy doesn't. Isn't that absolute moral authority for those unwilling or unable to get facts and make up their own minds?
MarkD at January 30, 2012 11:10 AM
HuffPo is notorious for publishing science that "feels" right vs factual science. They give Jenny McCarthy a platform to defend the anti-vaccine crowd after the doctor linked to that study was found guilty of falsifying data. He did this in order to take money from lawyers wishing to sue vaccine manufacturers.
.
Purplepen at January 30, 2012 11:20 AM
Amy Alkon
https://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2012/01/dont-be-too-qui-2.html#comment-2945446">comment from PurplepenArianna, whom I know personally, is notorious with me for not publishing my op-ed on civil liberties (which she was, of course, under no obligation to do) and not having the courtesy to write back and tell me she'd passed. (I had to find out at a party from a mutual friend...and lost time waiting to hear.) Uhggghhh...it's so hard to tap out those words, "Thanks, Amy, but not for us" and hit SEND.
Amy Alkon
at January 30, 2012 11:37 AM
Amy Alkon
https://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2012/01/dont-be-too-qui-2.html#comment-2945447">comment from Amy AlkonThis from a woman who had the audacity to ask for the earrings off my body so she could wear them to the Grammy's.
Um, no.
And I said that. Directly.
Amy Alkon
at January 30, 2012 11:38 AM
"He did this in order to take money from lawyers wishing to sue vaccine manufacturers. " Actually he did it so he could make a fortune on "green vaccines". A whole lot of journals that published his work took a bath on credibility.
"Anything With Extremely Unnatural Coloring." Hmm, I could dye buttered, mashed cauliflower red with beets. Deeeebunked! I'm pretty sure beet red is a natural coloring and they also grow purple Cauliflower. Don't care how much beet extract you use it won't touch the bright red of Red #40.
Quick processed meals are all bad. Unless you can find me one that isn't loaded with sugar, refined carbs and a whole bunch of stuff I need my Eng masters degree to understand.
Salt only has an effect if you radically change your intake of it. I tend not to use a lot of salt in cooking as it masks many subtle flavors. I'll occasionally eat out with friends and I retain water like a fiend after wards. Which will decide to go away 2 days later and always at night.
vlad at January 30, 2012 2:15 PM
Vlad you're right about Wakefield trying to make money off of green vacines. But he was also on the payroll of some scuzzy lawyers (secretly) trying to hit up the vaccine manufacturers.
"Rather, Wakefield had been secretly payrolled to create evidence against the shot and, while planning extraordinary business schemes meant to profit from the scare." -Brian Deer
So he was basically doing both at the same time. Ethical guy huh? Jenny McCarthy has been defending this creep on HuffPo despite all the evidence that he is a liar. She also says her son has been cured of autism providing yet again false hope for parents.
My opinion? Her son never had autism in the first place. He was just misdiagnosed.
And while there are very very very few autistic that do seem to revert back to normal (nobody knows why) there is no cure for autism.
Purplepen at January 30, 2012 3:08 PM
"My opinion? Her son never had autism in the first place. He was just misdiagnosed. "
He probably got better after he realized that his mom is a wackjob.
Cousin Dave at January 30, 2012 6:37 PM
Leave a comment