There is a revolution taking place and it’s called the Nutrient Rich Food Revolution. People are waking up to the fact that eating nutrient poor foods are the primary cause of obesity, disease, disability and death!
More and more people are starting to eat a Nutrient Rich diet; nutrient rich foods for better health, peak performance and natural weight loss that are now more accessible.
Even the government has gotten on board with the new healthy trend in eating. The Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, which puts out a new report roughly every 5 years, put out their last report in 2005, which indicated that most Americans consume too many foods that are high in calories but low in nutrients. To address this concern, the new Guidelines reinforced a long-standing and widely accepted cornerstone of nutrition – nutrient density, or enjoying more foods that are naturally rich in nutrients first.
What’s not understood, are the influences underlying these albeit new, dramatically improved and refreshing nutritional guidelines.
Nearly 4 years after the Jan 2005 release of the Dietary Guidelines, and in the early stages of this revolutionary consumer shift from nutrient poor to Nutrient Rich foods, companies are clamoring to label their diets and foods “Nutrient Rich.” Yet, without established standards around nutrient density or what is actually defined a “nutrient rich food”, it is difficult for the average consumer to determine if foods sold and marketed are really Nutrient Rich, let alone healthy. Meats, dairy and animal products are the foods in question.
The Naturally Nutrient Rich Food Coalition funded in large part by the beef board and dairy council, with University of Washington researcher Adam Drewnowski are working to establish a NNR (Naturally Nutrient Rich) score to label their foods as “Nutrient Rich”. nutrientrich.com applauds this effort.
It just so happens though, that meats, dairy and other animal products are the categories of foods that nutrientrich.com has declared nutrient poor – “rich in some nutrients but as whole food, “nutrient poor”.
According to the Food Class System™, animal products are second class foods that are in many ways disease-promoting when eaten in significant quantities, according to widely accepted nutritional research.
In Nutrient Rich Coalition studies, only a limited number of “nutrients” Fiber, vitamins, A, C, E Ca, K, Zn Folate, vitamin D, B 12 are referred to in determining if you are eating “nutrient rich”, even though up to 23 – 26 nutrient were used in their initial studies. John Allen Mollenhauer, founder of nutrientrich.com speculates that this is due to the nutrient limitations of dairy and animal products.
No doubt animal products are rich in some nutrients but as a whole food they are missing whole categories or nutrients and are very low in others, plus they include substances which the body does not need.
Two questions on consumers’ minds are:
1. How do you determine if a food is Nutrient Rich?
2. How do you lose weight and stay healthy eating Nutrient Rich foods?
One company committed to establishing a sound definition for a Nutrient Rich Food is nutrientrich.com, which established its Food Class System™ influenced greatly by Joel Fuhrman MD who eventually created the ANDI (Aggregate Nutrient Density Index).
Backed also by the findings of the most comprehensive study of nutrition ever conducted (The China Study, BenBella Books, 2005) and a world class lifestyle health and science advisory team; nutrientrich.com was the first to establish the 3 Classes of Foods with a basic Nutrient Density Chart and Nutrient Profile Scores representing 24 vitamins and minerals, plus Flavanoids (where there is substantial research) and subtracting those nutrients known outright to promote disease from an overall ranking.
nutrientrich.com, now a leading promoter of the research, findings and products created by Dr Fuhrman, asserts that you can still eat small amounts of nutrient poor foods and still be eating a Nutrient Rich diet, on a total dietary intake basis, but that the basis of any diet should be predominantly (90% or more) Nutrient Rich foods to eat for health, first and foremost.
To learn more about the Nutrient Rich Diet, Eat for Health training, coaching and other Dr Fuhrman products, sign up for the Nutrient Rich food revolution newsletter, the new trend in eating for health, peak performance and natural weight loss at nutrientrich.com
Founded by wellness entrepreneur, lifestyle trainer and coach, John Allen Mollenhauer, nutrientrich.com was developed to help free millions of people stuck in dead-end diet traps; all of which prevent otherwise motivated people from living normally and naturally, at or near their ideal weight, and free of lifestyle diseases, like diabetes, heart disease and obesity.
Nutrient Rich is the most successful way to eat for health, peak performance and natural weight loss.
John Allen is also the founder of the Lifestyle Coaching Center, in Livingston NJ and the creator of the Performance Lifestyle Training and Support System where clients learn the healthiest way to achieve their goals.
My name is Karen Kafer and I’m a registered dietitian at the National Dairy Council (NDC). As you mentioned in your post, NDC is one of the members of the Nutrient Rich Foods Coalition (located here: http://nutrientrichfoods.org/). I wanted to thank you for applauding our efforts to encourage the consumption of nutrient-rich foods. In addition, I wanted share some of the established USDA references which indicate that dairy is a nutrient-rich food.
As you mentioned, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) (located here: http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines) provides authoritative advice for dietary habits for Americans. Together, dairy foods supply four of the seven “nutrients of concern” for adults— vitamin A, calcium, magnesium and potassium, and three of the five “nutrients of concern” for children—calcium, potassium, and magnesium.
Details about nutrient-rich dairy foods can also be found at the Nutrient Data Laboratory Web site, located here: http://www.ars.usda.gov/Services/docs.htm?docid=8…
Happy to answer any questions you might have.
Karen Kafer, RD
National Dairy Council
My name is Karen Kafer and I’m a registered dietitian at the National Dairy Council (NDC). As you mentioned in your post, NDC is one of the members of the Nutrient Rich Foods Coalition (located here: http://nutrientrichfoods.org/). I wanted to thank you for applauding our efforts to encourage the consumption of nutrient-rich foods. In addition, I wanted share some of the established USDA references which indicate that dairy is a nutrient-rich food.
As you mentioned, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) (located here: http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines) provides authoritative advice for dietary habits for Americans. Together, dairy foods supply four of the seven “nutrients of concern” for adults— vitamin A, calcium, magnesium and potassium, and three of the five “nutrients of concern” for children—calcium, potassium, and magnesium.
Details about nutrient-rich dairy foods can also be found at the Nutrient Data Laboratory Web site, located here: http://www.ars.usda.gov/Services/docs.htm?docid=8…
Happy to answer any questions you might have.
Karen Kafer, RD
National Dairy Council