Novick’s Real Dirty Dozen

In Jeff Novick’s latest Newsletter, he shares his top 10 articles for 2014. All are worth reading, but I think the most important one to read is “The Real Dirty Dozen: The 12 Deadliest Lifestyle Factors & What You Can Do About Them”.

Here is the dirty dozen:

1. Smoking (Including 2^nd and 3rd hand smoke)
2. Excess Calories/Body Weight
3. Inadequate Diet (fruits, vegetables, intact starches)
4. Alcohol
5. Inactivity/Sedentary Lifestyle
6. Added Sodium/Salt
7. Saturated Fat
8. Dietary Cholesterol
9. Added Sugars/ Caloric Sweeteners
10. Added Fats/Oils
11. Refined Flours/Grains
12. Hydrogenated/Trans Fats

He also adds illicit and prescription drugs to make it a dirty baker’s dozen.

The Consumer Reports survey, to which he refers in his article, showed that even the most well-intentioned American food shoppers don’t seem very much interested in the dietary factors included in his list. Here is the top 10 list of things consumers look for when reading food labels:

1. Locally Grown
2. Natural
3. No artificial growth hormones
4. Pesticide-free
5. Organic
6. No artificial ingredients
7. Non-GMO
8. No antibiotics
9. Certified humane
10. Fair Trade

Novick superbly and succinctly consolidates the message he wants to share with his readers in the following sentences:

“If all our food was to meet all the above criteria that consumers are looking for, it would have virtually no impact on our epidemic of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, stroke, etc and overall, we would not be any healthier.

A locally grown, all natural, fair-trade, certified humane, Non GMO, no artificial ingredients, organic, pesticide free potato chip or french fry is still unhealthy junk food – even if it is vegan”.

American food shoppers who are truly concerned about their health and the health of their families should strongly consider transitioning to a whole food plant-based diet (WFPB). Switching to a diet dominated by whole and minimally processed fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes is the best way to prevent and/or treat the chronic diseases that kill us too early.

Once you’re following a WFPB diet, you will automatically reduce the amount of artificial growth hormones, artificial ingredients and antibiotics that you consume.

The remaining issues listed in the Consumer Reports survey are the products of either ethical, environmental and/or health concerns. There is no reason why these issues can’t be considered by food shoppers, they just should not be the main focus if true health is the goal.