30 YEARS ... AND COUNTING.On February 25, 1971, three young scientists (including yours truly) incorporated the Center for Science in the Public Interest, which three years later began publishing Nutrition Action Healthletter. This issue of Nutrition Action high-lights some of the major changes in the food and health landscape since then. The challenge to eat a healthy diet is far greater today than it was three decades ago. In the 1970s, the threat of a heart attack was a major incentive for people to eat better. Today, powerful cholesterol-lowering drugs cholesterol-lowering drug Therapeutics Any of a family of agents that ↓ serum cholesterol; the most cost-effective agents for lowering LDL-C are nicotinic acid and lovastatin; the most efficient for ↑ HDL-C are nicotinic acid and gemfibrozil can ease the damage caused by a hamburger habit. In the 1970s, many parents of young children had themselves grown up on homemade meals with fruits and vegetables and sensible portions of wholesome foods. Many of today's parents grew up in a "toxic food environment The term toxic environment was coined by Kelly D. Brownell, Ph.D., to describe American culture at the end of the 20th century, one that fosters and promotes obesity and unprecedented food consumption. Dr. " in which a typical daily diet included Big Macs, doughnuts, pizza, bucket-sized buttered popcorn, candy, Coke, chips, and other junk foods junk food n. Any of various prepackaged snack foods high in calories but low in nutritional value. junk food . Today, kids live in a sea of powerful advertising. They're surrounded by fast-food outlets in schools, soda and candy machines, and junky snacks in classrooms and at parties, parades, holiday celebrations, and just about everywhere else. Adults are tempted by ever-expanding opportunities to eat ever-expanding portions of junk at every location and every hour of the day. Is it any wonder that one out of two Americans is overweight? From vending machines at the office to monster pastries at coffee shops, from restaurants to movie theaters, shopping malls, gas stations, and ballparks, it takes enormous willpower to resist the constant onslaught of fast, cheap, and largely unhealthy calories. We know far more about the myriad ways in which diet contributes to good or ill health than we did in 1971. Back then, few knew that diet and exercise could cut the risk of cancer, high blood pressure, or osteoporosis. Supplements--from vitamins and minerals to herbs--were given short shrift short shrift n. 1. Summary, careless treatment; scant attention: These annoying memos will get short shrift from the boss. 2. Quick work. 3. a. . And researchers had yet to uncover the dangers of trans fat trans fat n. 1. A trans fatty acid. 2. Trans fatty acids considered as a group. trans fat A fat containing trans fatty acids. or the benefits of phytochemicals. The next 30 years undoubtedly will shed light on new foods or factors that can protect our health and may well disprove disprove, v to refute or to prove false by affirmative evidence to the contrary. some of today's "facts." Over the past three decades, CSPI CSPI Center for Science in the Public Interest CSPI Corporate Service Price Index CSPI Cumulative Schedule Performance Index has--in articles, on television and our Web site, and in books and pamphlets, school videos, and every other means we could think of--nudged people to eat their fruits and vegetables and exposed problems with tropical oils tropical oil Nutrition A cooking oil from palm and coconut trees, which differs from other vegetable oils in that, like animal fats, it is high in saturated fatty acids, and thus may have atherogenic potential. See Cis fatty acids, Fish oil, Olive oil, Transfatty acids. (coconut and palm kernel), saturated and trans fats, refined sugars, salt, meat, cheese (see "Don't Say "Cheese"!"), and restaurant meals. We've also encouraged the government to require nutrition labels on food packages, to ban unsafe additives, and to mount advertising campaigns for healthy foods. While we've had a few setbacks since 1971, we've also helped change the way America eats. It's been an exciting 30 years. I hope you'll continue to be with us for the next 30. Michael F. Jacobson Michael F. Jacobson, who holds a Ph.D. in microbiology, co-founded the Center for Science in the Public Interest in 1971, along with two fellow scientists he met while working at the Center for the Study of Responsive Law. Executive Director Center for Science in the Public Interest |
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