Statement of Concern from Ali Miller, RD, LD, CDE

Today’s statement of concern comes from Ali Miller, RD, LD, CDE:

“I have a big vision for the field of nutrition and dietetics. I can start to see the shift in consciousness on the role of the nutrition from whole non-processed foods and the impact of food choice on chronic illness. The most common diseases in our country have been identified as preventative lifestyle diseases. The medical community and individuals are beginning to see the impact that diet and lifestyle have on prevention, treatment, and recovery of chronic illness.

In order to fulfill the needs of our future, work with the medical community and promote wellness on a large scale, it is important that we keep up to date on functional and biochemical impact of nutrients, the preservation of real food and local foods communities, the impact of biotechnology, confined animal factories, and food chemicals, and the synergistic impact of the nutrients and biocompounds in whole non processed foods.

The dietitian of the future understands the significant role of biochemistry on the health of the individual and that nutritional components create every aspect of the human being. Beyond serving as building blocks for bones, hair, skin, muscle, fat, organs, and even gut cells, these nutrients play a functional role impacting our metabolic pathways influencing our detoxification, hormonal balance, fat burn/storage, blood sugar regulation, inflammatory pathways, and many more! The dietitian of the future understands beyond the impact of these pathways the mechanisms of action and how to affect them favorably with functional nutritional approaches using food as medicine.

The dietitian of the future understands the essential role of the local food system in national food security and integrity of quality sources of nutrition. She/he recognizes the purpose of the soil as a living ecosystem playing an integral role to the nutritional density of the produce through a strong “gut” or root system. She/he is up to date on food policy and concerns for a dead, chemically toxic, nutrient depleted, over sterilized product. The dietitian in the future is concerned with food security and looking to amend the mess of industrialized farming and through supporting and emphasizing the necessity to grow, prepare, and store your own food or those produced around your community while promoting public awareness of processed, packaged, industrialized foods.

The dietitian of the future questions corporate profit over public wellbeing and the sources that fuel research studies, curriculums of schools and medical schools, and public educational outreach. She/he takes the time to understand the bounty of the earth and how to work with it rather than against it to promote best outcomes. Working to fuel biochemical pathways rather than block them and to promote optimal functioning through an abundance of nutrients with limited toxins, promoting once again real whole food vs. food like substances or products of the industry.

From what I have seen in some materials from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and their expo events such as FNCE, we are not supporting the dietitian of the future.

The transparency is not quite clear as their presentations and materials manipulate dietitians and those of the future with items such as the “green is good” product line. And these trends of misinformation and corporate prioritization are seen in a varieties of avenues. The organization not focusing on real food or aiming to empower the nutritionist to understand the impact of whole foods on biological function. The organization is polluted with corporate profit-based agenda that infiltrates the minds and practice of our nutrition professionals. When we go to a product with synthetic nutrients before recommending a real food or focusing on improving digestive function to address patient’s needs we may be undercutting our patients from potential solutions rather than “quick fixes” or “cover-ups.”