By Dr. Brownstein
Holistic Medicine
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) is the gift that keeps on giving. To me, they provide me with many blog posts and newsletter articles.
I am not only one receiving gifts from the AND. Kraft Foods just received the first endorsement of a food product from the AND. AND is a trade group representing 75,000 registered dieticians. I have written about the AND in many other blog posts ( http://blog.drbrownstein.com/time-to-get-rid-of-a-bad-law/). Recently, I wrote how AND was trying to pass a law in every state that would mandate that only registered dieticians would be allowed to discuss nutrition with a patient. Any other individual discussing nutrition with a person would be subject to penalties and jail time. Thank goodness, in Michigan, we repealed that idiotic law.
Kraft Singles individual cheese slices received the AND’s permission to use the new “Kids Eat Right” label. This was reported in a New York Times article (3.13.15) which claimed it was a “major coup” for the Kraft Foods Group.
Kraft Singles is the first food chosen by the AND to receive its’ endorsement? Yougottabekiddingme!
I looked up the ingredients of Kraft Singles. It is a highly processed food that contains milk protein concentrate. What is milk protein concentrate? Milk protein concentrate is made from a highly industrialized process that includes exposing milk to high heat, harsh mechanical processes and spray drying. In fact, during the manufacturing of milk protein concentrate, all the minerals are removed. I highly doubt that the final product is worthy of ingestion. Milk protein concentrate is certainly not what healthy milk is supposed to be.
Furthermore, Kraft Singles are packaged in plastic. Plastic, when it touches food, can leach endocrine-disrupting chemicals into food.
Although Kraft Singles is certainly not the worst food product out there, I firmly believe it has no business receiving the inaugural seal from the AND. Why not pick a vegetable or fruit? I guess the vegetable and fruit farmers aren’t worthy of the AND seal. And, perhaps, the vegetable and fruit farmers do not donate enough money to AND.
Would anyone like to bet whether Kraft Foods Group donates to the AND? KRAFT Foods has been on the approved list for AND continuing education providers and they frequently exhibit at AND meetings.[i] The AND should be an independent organization free of corporate sponsorship. Until that occurs, it is best to ignore most, if not all, of what they say.
DrB