Nutritional Literacy. The Ignored Key to Behavior Change. Howard Jacobson, PhD Contributing author to WHOLE

Transcription

1 Nutritional Literacy The Ignored Key to Behavior Change Howard Jacobson, PhD Contributing author to WHOLE

2 Conflicting Theories? Eat a pound of butter at breakfast vs Dairy is a powerful carcinogen Fish contains important fats vs Fish consumption is linked to heart disease Juicing is great vs Juicing messes with blood sugar Superfoods are an important component of a healthy diet vs Superfoods are just regular foods with a super marketing budget We need more protein vs We re overdosing on protein

3 Conflicting Theories? How to reconcile? Are they all conditionally right? Does bio-individuality erase the conflicts? Or are some diets just better than others?

4 The Promise of Health Science Discoveries and Breakthroughs Better Products Better Choices Better Health

5 Instead Flooded with contradictory information Fads and fatalism Faith vs facts Obese Sick Suffering

6 The Problem for Health Coaches Client Confusion = Lack of confidence Lack of confidence = lack of commitment Lack of commitment = no sustained change

7 Three Health Literacies Scientific Literacy Marketing Literacy Change Literacy

8 Science Marketing Change

9 Scientific Literacy Why science is failing us How to evaluate scientific evidence Case Study: Evidence pro/con the Whole Foods Plant-Based Diet

10 Part I Why Science is Failing Us A. B. C. The Mental Prison Where It Breaks Down Case Study: The Surprising Finland Study

11 A. The Mental Prison

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13 Reductionism The Whole is equal to the sum of its parts. If you know all the parts, then you know the Whole.

14 B. Where Reductionism Fails

15 Nutrition 101 RDIs and RDAs Food labels 4 Basic Food Groups Food Pyramids My Plate How much do we need?

16 Nutrition Word Game We Eat For Oranges Vitamin C Carrots Vitamin A (Beta Carotene) Tomatoes Lycopene

17 Omnivore Edition We Eat For Meat Protein Milk Calcium Salmon Omega-3

18 What s the Problem?

19 Let s start with A micrograms recommended micrograms toxic

20 OK, Fine. Beta Carotene How much should we consume? 12 micrograms beta-carotene from food = 1 microgram Vitamin A

21 Beta Carotene in a Peach Actually given as Vitamin A in nutrition charts We don t need the calculator after all Sorry about that

22 So How Much Vitamin A? 570 IU of Vitamin A in an average peach Huh? IU? What happened to micrograms?

23 Converting IU to mcg IU / 3.33 = mcg 570 / 3.33 = 171 mcg

24 So We Need 900 / 171 = 5 1/4 peaches per day for men s vitamin A / beta carotene requirement 700 / 171 = 4 peaches per day for women s vitamin A / beta carotene requirement

25 Feeling Empowered Yet? Just wait... For the 3 wrenches...

26 Wrench #1: Body Wisdom Bioavailability Nutrient makes it to where it s used in the body

27 Wrench #2: Food Variability

28 Wrench #3: Interactions Vitamin A - Vitamin D Vitamin A - Vitamin E Vitamin A - Dietary Fat Beta carotene - Iron Zillions of these!

29 The Whole Apple Dr Rui Hai Liu 100 grams of fresh whole apple 1500 mg of Vitamin-C like antioxidant activity Measured actual amount of Vitamin C... And found... Something amazing... Not 1500 mg of Vitamin C... But...

30 5.7 mg of Vitamin C

31 2000 Activity times more Vitamin C-like activity 1200 than can be explained by anything we know Mg Vitamin C Actual Mg Vitamin C

32 Magic Debit Card $100 in bank account Can spend $26,300 before running out of money

33 C. The Surprising Finland Study

34 The Study Beta carotene in food: powerful antioxidant High beta carotene food intake associated with reduced rates of lung cancer male smokers in Finland - multi-year study of beta carotene supplementation Experimental design: one group gets supplements, other group gets placebo

35 The Results 46% more lung cancer deaths in one of the groups 26% more cardiovascular deaths in the same group the group that received beta carotene supplementation! study was terminated early (at 6.5 years) to prevent further premature deaths many other studies show the same thing

36 Can you catch?

37 Part II How to Evaluate Evidence A. B. 3 Critical Questions Application: Mediterranean Diet Study

38 A. 3 Critical Questions

39 Critical Question #1: Is it True?

40 Critical Question #2: Is it the Whole Truth?

41 Critical Question #3: Does it Matter?

42 B. Application: Mediterranean Diet Study

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48 1. Med Diet + EVOO 2. Med Diet + Nuts 3. Low Fat Diet

49 Significant: < 0.05

50 Is it True? Not remotely

51 Is it the Whole Truth? What aren t we being told?

52 Low Fat Diet

53 Healthiest Diet

54 Does It Matter?

55 Does It Matter?

56 Part III The Evidence A. B. C. For the Whole Foods Plant-Based (WFPB) Diet Against WFPB The WHOLE Picture

57 Evidence for WFPB Bio-mimicry Evolutionary Biology Ecological Studies Long-term clinical trials Tens of thousands of individual stories

58 Evidence against WFPB Some poorly constructed and incorrectly interpreted diet comparison studies (like Med. diet) Some narrow biochemical studies (assume cause and effect where none has been shown)

59 C. The Big Picture

60 Eunutria: Effects Prevents 95% of all cancers (including enviro) Prevents nearly all heart attacks and strokes Reverses even severe heart disease Prevents and reverses Type 2 diabetes

61 Eunutria: Side Effects Ideal weight in healthy and sustainable fashion Eliminates most migraines, acne, colds and flu, chronic pain, and intestinal distress Improves energy Cures erectile dysfunction (BLOCKBUSTER!)

62 Eunutria: Enviro Side Effects Slows/reverses global warming Reduces groundwater contamination Ends deforestation Shuts down factory farms Reduces malnutrition and dislocation among world s poor

63 Why is WFPB so Rapid? Broad? Deep? Wholly positive?

64 The Whole Truth The whole (nutrition) is greater than the sum of its parts (individual nutrients) Nutrition is so complex, it s actually simple Whole plant-based food can heal faster and more profoundly than drugs and surgeries, with only positive side effects The Scientifically Literate Rx: Eat mostly plant foods in as close to their natural state as possible

65 An End to Confusion Client confidence No second-guessing Sustainable changes Reinforcing feedback (numbers) More than half the battle

66 Thank You!