Eighteen organizations have joined forces to promote a balanced diet as the healthiest for consumers. The collaboration is called “Back to Balance Coalition”, which supports a “balanced, practical and achievable dietary guidance.” The group has a new website.
Their philosophy is that empowering choice is more effective than restricting it, and that Dietary Guidelines should be practical, affordable, and achievable. They say that restricting food choices by classifying foods as “good” or “bad may create unhealthy behaviors. Recommendations should stress the “traditional core principles of dietary guidelines: balance, variety, and moderation.”
Polling data shows that dietitians and other health professionals prefer balanced information instead of prescriptive food policies. The survey, conducted in October 2014 of 300 registered dietitian nutritionists, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants found that 95% agree with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ Total Diet Approach to Healthy Eating position. That approach stresses that your favorite foods can be enjoyed in moderation within a balanced lifestyle, even if they are high in calories, fat, or added sugars.
Nutritionist Dr. Carol Byrd-Bredbenner said, “historically, we’ve seen shifts in dietary recommendations that have led to conflicting messages and confusion. These recommendations often have little to do with what Americans really eat, nor do they consider what working families could achieve given today’s time and economic pressures.
“What we’ve been missing are the practical tools that show ‘how to’ incorporate dietary recommendations into today’s lifestyles. These recommendations would emphasize portion control, listening to internal cues for satiety, and working with people on behavior-based tact is to help Americans build an overall healthful dietary pattern that takes into account the reality of how people live.
But the members list reveals something about the group: it includes the Grocery Manufacturers’ Association, The Sugar Association, the Wheat Foods Council, the Can Manufacturers Institute, Canned Food Alliance, Grain Foods Foundation, and the National Chicken Council. Take the advice with this list in mind.
I think that eating a wide variety of foods, which affords your body a wide selection of ingredients which it may need is more important than the ‘good’ or ‘bad’ food motive. A wide variety, all of which are to be consumed in moderation.