The topic of the last Memo came from an article co-written by writers from The Examination and the Washington Post. The “exposé” was that credentialed nutritionists and registered dieticians (RDs) were accepting sponsorships and payments from industries they covered, especially the cereal industry. The “angle” was that the influencers were using the anti-diet movement to promote the consumption of cereals to adults and children—not just granola and oatmeal, but every sugar-laden cereal.

I don’t watch TikTok videos, and I don’t have a TikTok account. But to be fair, I used the hashtag #DerailTheShame to check out some of the videos that were mentioned in the article. It was a couple of weeks after the article was posted, so there were responses from some RDs that typically use TikTok. To say they were upset was an understatement. But in the responses, no one addressed the real issues in the TikToks and the article, so I will.

Both Sides Made Mistakes

The writers who collaborated on the article were all investigative journalists with a lot of experience, but none had a nutrition background. How do you know what’s good or bad from a nutrition perspective? This happens a lot in non-scientific journalism. I’m not saying such articles aren’t worth reading, just keep in mind that an important viewpoint is missing.

Some of the RDs certainly made it seem like they were promoting the sugar-laden cereals only. That’s the problem with using short videos; you don’t get to address the issue completely, and it would appear you have to sell yourself more than anything else.

On the other hand, the RDs were using elements of “fat shaming is bad” together with eating all foods. Fat shaming is bad and should never happen; you don’t know what kind of stressors people are dealing with or the medical, physical, psychological, and budget issues that keep them from losing weight right now. But eating as much processed food as you want isn’t a good solution.

At least one of the authors of the article wrote about Big Food and their sponsorships of RDs. The results were new laws legislating that compensation must be revealed when it comes to such influencers. On the other hand, I didn’t find any criticism by the RDs of Big Food companies who oppose new and plainly written food labels to reveal exactly what’s in processed foods.

Partial Solutions

I think the article writers should have spent more time on the Big Food angle rather than the influencers, credentialed or not. Many health insurance companies will not pay for nutritional counseling for obesity. One of the results is that nutrition professionals turn to other venues to be able to earn a living, and sponsorships can help them do that.

As for the credentialed influencers? With all the mind-numbing music, graphics, and dancing around in kitchens, it seems appropriate to post the serving size and calories from the cereal (or whatever food is being promoted) and to emphasize sticking to reasonable portions per day. That solves the issue in my mind. I’m not opposed to earning a living.

The Bottom Line

While cereals and any processed food have their place in a healthy diet, they should be eaten in the proper serving size and servings per day. I am opposed to the anti-diet sentiment. The only way to lose weight and maintain it is to eat less, eat better, and move more. (Ozempic isn’t magic; people lose weight because the drug causes them to eat less.) We all have to figure out for ourselves how to do that, and it won’t be the same for everyone, but it’s the only way to solve the obesity epidemic we face.

However, a physician from across the pond says that eating less and moving more just won’t work. That’s our topic for next week.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Reference: 04-03-24. Washington Post. As Obesity Rises, Big Food and Dietitians Push ‘Anti-Diet’ Advice.