What To Believe Regarding Nutrition Recommendations NTR306

What To Believe Regarding Nutrition Recommendations NTR306Kamryn Jefferson (kj22953) When asked to define the topic of the debate, you have to take into consideration both the DRIs and DGAs when debating the topic of ...

What To Believe Regarding Nutrition Recommendations NTR306Kamryn Jefferson (kj22953) When asked to define the topic of the debate, you have to take into consideration both the DRIs and DGAs when debating the topic of what to believe regarding nutrition recommendations. This has been a hot-top in the diet/nutrition industry as a point of controversy due to the ever changing nutrition recommendations from various sources—which rightfully so raises the questions of: which source(s) should we trust, what are their biases, and how was the research conducted? I initially believed and have been what I’d consider to be, socially conditioned, into taking government recommendations as essentially law, final, unbiased and rightful—whereas other studies and nutrition blog and magazines could be biased (paid for by food brands, fad diets in magazines) I personally didn’t give much credence to them. While this isn’t necessarily wrong, it’s not entirely right to blindly trust government-funded or privately-funded nutrition studies as I’ve learned the past 3 weeks. Based on the professor-led debate and my time in NTR306 thus far, I’ve come to the conclusion that you should take all resources DGAs/DRIs/government-funded studies information into consideration..while doing background research into how these studies were conducted and paid for, when the information was published, and given appropriate context. I found that the strongest debate point for me that supported my initial ideals about nutrition recommendations was point #1 that used the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs), which by definition “provides evidence-based food and beverage recommendations for Americans that aim to promote health and prevent chronic disease.” It is government-funded and considered as the basis for informing federal nutrition, food, and health programs and policies that affect almost every single consumer. As Point #1 states, I trusted the DGAs blindly because the guidelines are drafted based on a report by a government approved committee of nationally recognized scientific experts in nutrition and medicine.