There is a Food Fight going on and overweight Americans are caught in the crossfire.  The advocates of the low-carb diet are pitted against the proponents of the high-carb/low-fat diet.  Which side is winning?  Which side is losing?  Actually, it’s the overweight individual who is losing this battle.  As a dietitian, I feel sorry for the average American who is inundated with so much weight-loss information from the media, along with the multitude of diet books that could topple a bookshelf. 

What’s even worse is that the information consumers are getting is often conflicting.  What are Americans to believe?  How do they know how to judge the information they receive?  What foods should they be eating?  How has this food fight affected the way Americans eat? 

There’s probably never been so much disagreement in how to lose weight as we see today.  Maybe the creators of the popular diets have learned how to better use the media to their advantage so their platforms are more familiar to the public.  That must be true if you consider how little attention Dr. Robert Atkins got for his low-carb diet back in the 1970s when he came out with his book, Dr. Atkins Diet Revolution.  It took him another twenty or so years to make another attack on the diet industry with his Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution.  This time he had the media eating out of his hand. 

Then there are the proponents of the high-carb diet such as Dr. Dean Ornish and Dr. John McDougall.  They haven’t backed down from their stance that losing weight and maintaining that weight loss is best achieved through a high-carbohydrate approach.  Who is right?  Americans should not feel like push-me-pull-me dolls, being torn between the two sides. 

The FDA joined the fray, in some ways trying to act as referee to this food fight.  So far, the government isn’t backing either low-carb or high-carb diets.  There aren’t any long-term studies to prove whether one diet type is more effective than another or safer.  They do agree, though, that it is a matter of “calories in versus calories burned” as the FDA made clear in their March 2004 Calorie Campaign Report.  Even in February 2000 when the USDA brought together the who-saids of the diet world (Dr. Robert Atkins, Dr. Barry Sears, Dr. Dean Ornish, and Dr. John McDougall) for the Great Nutrition Debate, where both sides of the issue were discussed, it still came down to a matter of calories.  Are Americans hearing that message? 

Unfortunately, overweight Americans have lost touch with a natural and healthy relationship with food because they no longer know what is best to eat.  How can they when one day the media is telling them to follow a low-carb diet, ignoring many of the food groups, and the next day they’re being told they’re not eating enough fruits and vegetables?

Let's keep it simple.  Eat as many fruits and vegetables a day that you can.  Think color...have as many different colored fruits and vegetables that are available in your market.  Be sure to have some dried beans and legumes at least twice a week.  They're a great source of fiber and protein.  Whole grain is a must.  Save your refined flours and sugars for special treats (which means only for special occasions).  Eat at least two servings of fish a week, the fattier kind the better (such as salmon).  Limit the amount of red meat you eat and when you do have red meat, make sure it's lean.

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