Nutritionism is a new word for me, and I’ve decided I don’t like it. Not one little bit. I was just introduced to it this week upon reading a post at My World Edenwild called I don’t believe in Nutrionism anymore. Then I learned even more about it over at Food Renegade where, in her post From The Mouths of Babes, I watched Micheal Pollan, author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma, talk about nutritionism in a video she made as a part of her Real Food Nutrition and Health E-Course. It was like a light bulb going on in my head when she said “Food, NOT NUTRIENTS, is the fundamental unit in nutrition.” I had a “Duh, of course it is,” moment. So why isn’t this more widely understood?
1. The first premise of nutritionism, according to Michael Pollan, “is that the important thing about any food is the nutrients it contains. Food is essentially the sum of its nutrient parts.” So when we eat a bowl of Cheerios (my daughter’s favorite cereal by the way, nobody’s perfect over here), although the only real food ingredient it contains is whole grain oats we are supposed to feel good about eating it because it is “a good source of fibre.” The cereal has a number of other processed and biochemical ingredients in it to make the O’s hold together and taste good and serve as “nutrients” to give us sources of iron, Vitamin D, zinc, Vitamin B12, etc. So while Cheerios is barely real food, it is a delivery system for nutrients.
2. Since nutrients are the most important thing but we can’t see them, we need scientists and other experts to tell us what we should eat. This is a tricky one for me. I work in Mental Health And Addictions for the local Health Authority, and a part of my job is to help clients learn how to budget their money and eat healthier food. However, I am working with some clients who barely have enough motivation to get to the store, let alone create a healthy meal from scratch. Therefore, we often have to rely on the healthy, cheap versions of pre-made and easy-to-make meals. Oh, yes, and it is very important that we follow the Canada Food Guide, basically making my job an impossible task. But as long as I know that this is the “right” way to eat, we’re fine. “Not sure if she’s getting enough protein? Just look up the nutrients on the side of the packages.” (All those hard to read ingredients – just ignore those.)
3. Nutritionism divides the world into good and evil. Right now transfats is the devil. Omega-3 fatty acids are the angels. Of course the identity of these nutrients change over time, depending on food trends. Not long ago low fat was the ideal. Sometimes carbohydrates are “in” and sometimes they aren’t. For the non-vegetarians who don’t know actually know much about food, proteins are very important, and thus, as a vegetarian, I can’t be getting enough and am likely paving my personal road to hell. But see how we make the nutrients so much more important than the food we are eating? Why are we paying so much attention to the nutrients instead of the food?
Since the science of nutrients was introduced, obesity, cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes have risen. I am going to go out on a limb here and speculate that because science can make processed foods more “nutritious” than their real counterparts, people have stopped eating real food and have started relying on cheaper, scientifically crafted foods.
In learning all of this I couldn’t help but think of the relationship between breastfeeding and formula. Breastfeeding is real food for babies. Formula is its processed food counterpart. Over time science has almost perfected infant formula by packing it with the “same nutrient composition” as our breast milk. At times, society has been told that formula is just as nutritious, if not more so, than breast milk. This has sparked debates over the healthiest way to feed a baby, and while breast milk always comes out on top, formula feeding mothers can pretty much feel confident that their baby’s food is “just as good.”
But is it? Who read the article at Natural News called It’s not the bugs in Similac that make me sick – let’s recall the other ingredients? While the article itself has some finger pointing criticism that I don’t agree with it does bring the reader’s attention to the ingredients in a can of Similac, namely corn syrup solids, soy protein isolate, high oleic safflower oil, sugar (sucrose), soy oil and coconut oil. Would you feed these ingredients standing alone to your newborn baby? No, but because a team of scientists have fortified this concoction of oily sugar with a bunch of good sounding things called nutrients it’s suddenly “just as good.”
“But we/I turned out just fine” is something I hear from my mom’s generation a lot. Most of them were fed formula, BUT they also had the luxury of eating (for the most part) real whole foods. For certain, not all of them have turned out fine, and for others only time will tell. I believe that the children who were formula fed back in the 50′s and 60′s still grew up on mostly real foods, and I think that a healthy diet – post-infant formula – benefited their overall health.
Raw dairy stocked Canadian shelves until the pasteurization law was passed in the 1960′s. Cows and chickens were being grass fed, produce wasn’t being sprayed (or at least not as heavily), and nothing was genetically modified. In addition, most families ate home cooked meals every night. People didn’t go out to restaurants to eat as much as they do now. Processed foods were in their infant stages and had no where near the chemical additives and preservatives that they do now. According to the fabulous post over at Modern Alternative Mama … but WE turned out fine! up until 1990 when they switched to canola oil, McDonalds used beef tallow to deep fry with. Processed food companies used coconut oil in baked goods. Now they use vegetable oil and shortening.
Recently I remember hearing Jamie Oliver say that our children will live ten years younger than us because of the landscape of food we’ve built for them. I believe it’s time to save lives.
I believe it’s time to go back to real food. It’s time to question the ingredients that companies put in their foods. It’s time to ask why did the nutrients we’re consuming become more important than the food we’re eating? It’s time for our governments to put out money into breast milk banks instead of formula samples!
It’s time to toss away our guilt for the mistakes society has made under the power of the food corporations. Not the mistakes we as parents have made. Most of us don’t have anything to feel guilty about. We can’t all be expected to know everything all the time. No one is perfect, and we all do the best we can do with the information we have at the time. But we can expect that scientists know what they’re doing, and what corporations are doing when they tell us to buy their superior products.
Note: This post is not meant to make anyone feel guilty for choices they’ve made. It is meant for educational purposes only. Toss the guilt out the window and empower yourself for the future. And if you feel you’ve made an informed decision about any of what I’ve written about then more power to you. You have my respect. Sincerely, Melodie.
This post is a part of Real Food Wednesdays, Vegetarian Foodie Fridays, Fight Back Friday, and Food on Friday, Wholesome Whole Foods, Momtrends, and Hearth and Soul Blog Hop.
Related posts:
- What Everyone Needs To Know About Infant Formula Ingredients
- World Hunger Day: Breastfeeding Reduces Hunger (Duh!) and Infant Mortality
- Breastfeeding, Formula Feeding and Social Oppression
Tags: formula, Micheal Pollan, nutritionism, raw dairy, Similac
Terrific post, Melodie!
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Yes! Great post.
I agree, breastmilk is real food, formula is not. While the science of nutrition does have benefits (the formula babies get today is probably a lot better than yesteryear), processed food manufacturers have abused food science and deceived so many of us into thinking their food is better for us, or at least just as good.
A formula-fed baby weaned onto real food is going to do better long-term than a breastfed baby weaned onto processed food. Many babies are getting neither source of real food. It’s definitely time for a turnaround.
Lisa C´s last [type] ..Yeast Beast and the Sugar Problem
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This is a great post, but just want to clear one thing up about the corn syrup solids in formula. Corn syrup solids are used in soy and lactose-free formulas because if you can’t use lactose for sugar, you have to use something else. My guess is that the majority of babies are on a regular cow-milk based formula, although more and more we are seeing people put the baby on soy or lactose-free formulas. Whenever someone has a baby who is spitting up a lot, gassy, fussy, etc., instead of switching them to a hypoallergenic formula for a couple of months until the baby’s gut has the chance to get a little more mature and break down the regular formula, they switch to soy. It’s strange because if a baby were truly lactose-intolerant they would also most likely have problems with soy. The AAP has a VERY carefully worded statement about the use of soy formula, but you can tell they don’t think it’s a good idea to be giving an infant soy. I wish more pediatricians would tell parents that soy formula is not a good idea, not just because of the corn syrup solids but because of the plant estrogens as well.
Just curious, do you know any vegan parents with a baby on formula? I wonder how they choose what to use. I personally would not give a baby soy formula, no matter how I felt about cows. Baby’s more important.
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Melodie Reply:
September 29th, 2010 at 10:08 pm
Thanks for that great information Elita. That totally makes sense. You’re right that it isn’t just about the corn syrup and other oil. Soybeans are not good things to be feeding anyone, but especially an infant. I did consider going into some more information about soy but instead I will just post my favorite link to information on it.
http://www.foodrenegade.com/dangers-of-soy/
And no, I don’t know any vegans (or anyone for that matter) who feeds or fed their baby soy formula EXCEPT my brother was fed Similac back in 1979 due to dairy allergies, which went away when he got a bit older but came back with a vengeance when he hit his early 20′s.
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i really appreciate this way of looking at it! every package on the shelf these days calls out the nutrients and ingredients inside: Omega 3! Vitamin D! Low carb! Zero trans fats! as opposed to focusing on the actual food inside. while the nutritional makeup is important i dig this renewed focus on eating whole, REAL foods.
i feel like one of the first true generations that grew up eating only pre-packaged manufactured foods and i feel as though i’m trying to re-learn everything i know about eating.
the grumbles´s last [type] ..opposite sides of the fence
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Great post! We have been trying hard to buy “real” foods instead of processed foods with added nutrients…it can be a bit of extra work, but it is so worth it. Just recently I was buying sour cream, and noticed that the low fat version is called a sour cream “PRODUCT” and has all kinds of ingredients in it that I can’t pronounce. So I bought the full fat 14% sour cream with fewer ingredients, and I am using less and savouring every spoonful!
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Melodie Reply:
September 29th, 2010 at 10:12 pm
I’m not a sour cream fan but I did go to buy some for my mom one day. She told me to buy a certain brand of low fat sour cream because it was so low in lactose (she’s lactose intolerant). I read the ingredients and was astonished to see that there really was hardly any dairy in it. Sour cream “product” is right. It was scary!!
Melodie´s last [type] ..Understanding Nutritionism And The Problem With Infant Formula
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It makes me want to gag when I see the new “Gerber generation” tv ad- has anyone else seen it?
“your kids have something amazing to tell you- the food they get in the first 5 years of life can affect them for the REST OF THEIR LIVES”. cue cute kids and music. “welcome to the GERBER GENERATION”
Aaghghghghghghg.
Yeah, because the “nutrition” that kids get according to Gerber (Nestle) is really going to build a healthier tomorrow. It’s almost false advertising in my opinion. Kind of made me sick.
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Melodie Reply:
September 29th, 2010 at 10:12 pm
Agreed.
Melodie´s last [type] ..Understanding Nutritionism And The Problem With Infant Formula
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Bravo, Melodie! In response to one commenter, I am not sure if the formula today is better than yesteryear because corn and soy are most likely genetically modified today – as in the corn syrup solids and soy protein and soy oil… but they may have added more single nutrients that are beneficial. Although DHA sourced from algae is extracted using hexane (a neurotoxin!)
Melodie, have you read The China Study? Dr. Campbell has been trying to get the idea of WHOLE FOODS across for ages and opportunists always find a way to extrapolate from the body of his research and extract the single nutrients to make a sale! ie. fiber supplements, lycopene, etc.
Pure Mothers´s last [type] ..Earth Day Exploration
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Melodie Reply:
September 29th, 2010 at 10:15 pm
Yes! I loved the China Study. I have read that a number of folks who follow the real food movement are not really fans (huh?) because he advocates for a vegetarian diet – likely why I like him so much!
– but I actually don’t remember that part of the book. I guess my brain wasn’t as turned on to that part of his research back then. But thanks, I will have to go back and read it again.
Melodie´s last [type] ..Understanding Nutritionism And The Problem With Infant Formula
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This is the first I’ve heard of “nutritionism”, but I agree with you. Food before nutrients.
I think that most dietitians say that whole food sources of nutrients are better, anyway. They’re more easily absorbed by our systems. That’s why they have to load so much iron into cereal – most of it just passes through. But when you eat iron-rich food as part of a whole meal of healthy food, it’s a different story.
Food doesn’t have to be rocket science. We can trust nature, and our bodies, to know what we need and provide it. Especially in a society like ours, with so much food available.
Amber´s last [type] ..Toothiness
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hypatia Reply:
October 6th, 2010 at 7:00 pm
“That’s why they have to load so much iron into cereal – most of it just passes through. But when you eat iron-rich food as part of a whole meal of healthy food, it’s a different story.”
Funnily enough, infant formula is another product that is loaded with ridiculous amounts of iron so babies’ stomachs will process just a bit of it.
hypatia´s last [type] ..Prostitution- Take 2
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I love it! I’m a HUGE Michael Pollen fan.
I’ve always marveled at the people (like my mom) who are so totally duped by nutritionism that they think carrots are bad for you (too many carbs), but SweetnLow is good (no carbs, dontcha know).
My husband and I have just started a “no-corn” diet. So we’re weeding out anything that has any form of corn in it. We’re starting with the obvious ones – corn syrup, and moving towards glucose-fructose and maltodextrin because they’re usually corn-derived. It’s amazing how pervasive this one plant is – I’m curently trying to learn to make my own sour cream because it’s virtually impossible to find sour cream without corn starch!
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Kristel Reply:
November 3rd, 2011 at 12:26 am
I started using organic plain yogurt instead of sour cream, and we have all gotten used to it. Haven’t checked but could there be corn derived ingredients in it too?
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Yes – love it! And I think the “but I turned out fine” argument completely ignores the rampant obesity, cancer, diabetes, and heart disease that Americans are keeling over from every single day. With this much medical advancement, people should be living LONGER, not dying of horrendous diseases in their 40′s and 50′s. That’s where the “but I’m fine!” argument holds no water. Our society is sooooo not fine.
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sara Reply:
September 30th, 2010 at 11:17 am
Yes, a coworker said this to me the other day, and I responded with “are we really okay? How many people have diabetes, heart disease, and cancer?”
and he said, “well…..that’s true”. There’s nothing to say! The truth is that people are sicker than they ever have been despite scientific “advances” in food production.
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michelle Reply:
October 1st, 2010 at 4:23 pm
These diseases are because of lifestyle choices. I was formula fed, but did not eat processed food. I only ate REAL food my whole life. I have almost never been sick and have never had weight issues. I found out recently, that one of my closest friend was breastfed until she 3.5 years old. She also grew up on the worst food you can imagine. In fact, I was not allowed to eat dinner with them. She got cancer at 25, has always struggled with her weight, and has cholesterol issues at 30. Our health is terrible, because we feed ourselves nothing, that keeps it from being terrible. I didn’t turn out fine “in spite of” formula. I turned out fine, because I live a healthy lifestyle. My friends didn’t turn out unhealthy because of formula. They turned out unhealthy, because they are living unhealthy!! It takes A LIFETIME of bad choices, to become so unhealthy, not what we were fed briefly as infants.
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Lisa C Reply:
October 2nd, 2010 at 2:20 am
I very much agree here. While breastmilk is the ideal start, it’s only a start. Yes, it can have long term impact, but not as much as the food we eat for the rest of our lives.
Lisa C´s last [type] ..September in Review
[...] post this week is called Understanding Nutritionism and The Problem With Infant Formula. If you’re new to the word “nutritionism” then you aren’t alone. I was too [...]
Oh how I wish I could eat healthier. Melodie, come visit me in Syracuse and teach me how to eat! I am constantly feeling guilty about the things I eat and the things I feed my toddler. I need a personal food advisor, and a chef.
Wonderful post as always! I need to come here more often, geeze.
Kim Rosas´s last [type] ..Softbums Mystery Diaper Reveal Happens Today at 1 PM EST!
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Great post! However, despite many who grew up in the 50′s and 60′s eating mostly whole foods at home, I do believe many of them got so much processed junk that it’s severely affecting them now. My parents (and so many others their age) suffer from diabetes and cholesterol issues. I think a LOT of it has to do with despite eating whole foods, not eating nearly enough fresh foods. Then when processed foods got a foot in the door at the supermarket… well that didn’t help.
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Melodie Reply:
October 1st, 2010 at 5:29 pm
True. I guess I should only be speaking for myself and the people I know in this post as my family ate a lot of fresh food while I was growing up and for the most part, still do, however, in other parts of the country and within each household there will be a different story. Thanks for your perspective!
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Although, I do understand the importance of breastmilk…
I think the MORE important foundation, is laid after infancy. For instance, my sister’s son exclusively breastfed until 6 months. She continued to breastfeed while she introduced solids until 12 months. At 13 months, he now eats fast food for 2 meals every day and eats out of the can/box the other meals. I was not able to breastfeed. My son was on formula exclusively until 6 months, solids were introduced, and he was taken off formula at 12 months. At 17 months, he only eats whole fruits, vegetables, fats, and proteins. Never had junk, or processed food in his life. We will continue, this way of feeding him. Do I think my sister’s son, is any better off then my son, because he was breastfed? 100% NO. Although breastfeeding, is important in the beginning…I don’t think it has much importance, if crap is being fed to children after. This is SO common. I don’t think it should be a breastfeeding/formula debate. I think it should be a healthy lifestyle vs. unhealthy lifestyle debate. I don’t care, of you breastfeed your kid for 5 years. If you give him processed, fake food after…it really doesn’t matter at all. Just my opinion.
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Melodie Reply:
October 1st, 2010 at 5:27 pm
I think you and I are pretty much on the same page. I do obviously think it is better to breastfeed, and I do believe that formula is processed “food” that should be avoided as much as possible; however, like I said in the post, I do think that if a person has grown up on mostly real foods that they have a far better chance of healthy living than if they grew up on processed foods. I think the foundation of nutrition we give our children is of the outmost importance, and the first choice would be breast milk followed by real whole foods. And whether one has been formula fed or not I think real foods are important, but I see what you are saying that maybe some parents think that they’ve done their due diligence with breastfeeding and stop focusing on the best foods after that. I think that is wrong too. Good eating habits need to start at birth and continue on from there. I was formula fed too. Not a drop of breast milk ever entered my body, but so far I am healthy too. I was raised by my mom and grandparents who kept a garden, bought raw milk, and whose meals consisted of meat, potatoes and steamed veggies, night after night. My mom was an avid baker and never bought store bought sweets. I know much of my health is thanks to that kind of eating.
Thanks for your comment.
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When I read MP’s book “In Defence of Food” the nutritionism word turned on a huge lightbulb for me. Your blogpost is BANG ON and lets take it further (I have a blog post on this simmering) that plants grown on nutrients (chemical fertilizers) not whole food (Compost and natural fertilizers) have the SAME PROBLEM. Which is why organically grown vegetables are better tasting and better for us!
And to the lady above who was unable to breastfeed – my sister is a “vegetarian” and is a bit holier than thou about it….yet if you look in her fridge and freezer its filled with processed vegetarian CRAP. I can’t believe some of the ingredients!!! Same same!!
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You got it, girl! Breast is best! There’s so much we don’t yet understand about how particular nutrients work together in our bodies. We can’t just isolate nutrients, take supplements, and survive healthily. I love how you applied the “nutritionism” to infant formula. Well done!
Katie
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I agree with the commenter that said that continuing to lead a healthy lifestyle with real food, etc., after the stage of infant feeding is crucial.
There’s no simple answer!
Great article, I really enjoyed reading it.
FoxyKate´s last [type] ..I’m driving your milk helmet!
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I read In Defense of Food and that’s when I first heard of this concept. Just crazy. It’s all connected! All of it!
Jessica – This is Worthwhile´s last [type] ..Learn this- A childs body and mind are his own- not anyone elses
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What a great post – full of information I wish I had known when my babies were babies! Keep spreading the word! Thanks for linking this to the Hearth and Soul Hop!
Christy´s last [type] ..Hearth and Soul Hop Vol 17
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Mel, glad I saw this, because I am totally sharing it on my thoughts on friday link love at a moderate life. I completely believe as you do–food is EVERYTHING! you could eat a bowl of folic acid, wheatbran, whey protien powder, vitamin c crystals and monounsaturated fats and what does that give you? A big stomach ache and a craving for FOOD…I am all about nutrient dense foods but they better well taste good and be WHOLE! Hugs! Alex
alex@a moderate life´s last [type] ..Hearth and Soul Hop-Volume 17!
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Thanks for sharing such a powerful post with the Hearth and Soul hop. Breastmilk is so much more than a breakdown of nutrients, which is which “science” has failed to recreate it. I’m kind of horrified to read some of the ingredients on formula.
Butterpoweredbike´s last [type] ..Wild About – Juniper Berries Juniper-Rubbed Dove Kebabs
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Wildly informative, Mel…thanks so much for sharing it with the hearth and soul hop this week!!
girlichef´s last [type] ..Murgh Korma chicken cooked in a yogurt-almond sauce & Kaddu Indian-spiced pumpkin
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[...] couple weeks ago I wrote a post called Understanding Nutritonism and The Problem With Infant Formula. In it I listed a few of the ingredients listed on a can of Similac formula (which were derived [...]
[...] Understanding Nutritionism And The Problem With Infant Formula | Breastfeeding Moms Unite October 5th, 2010 on 8:25 pm [...]
I love your article. You have spoken my mind. But million times better that what I could have wrote. Came across your article when I googled “Isn’t Infant formula the highest processed food ever?”
Thank you. Thank you
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