The Deficiency Obsession

The Deficiency Obsession

Throughout the vast majority of human history, lack of food calories was the biggest threat against surviving long enough to reproduce and raise children.  So the genes that survived over many generations were those that program us to be extremely concerned about dietary deficiencies.  This concern served us well in the Stone Age, but in our modern food environment, it often sabotages our attempts to get healthy.

Use of Supplements

Because of our over-concern for dietary deficiencies, the US nutrition supplement industry has grown to massive proportions.  Its annual sales in 2017 of 36.1 billion dollars puts it neck and neck with US sales of video games!

When our health declines, it’s easy for a supplement pusher to convince us that we are deficient in whatever substance or substances that are contained in whatever snake oil that is being pushed.  In some instances, short-term symptoms can be relieved due to the placebo effect, but anyone eating the Standard American Diet (SAD) who expects a dietary supplement to provide powerful, long-term health improvements, will likely be disappointed. Not only is evidence lacking that vitamin and mineral supplements provide any benefits in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases and cancer, there is strong evidence that some nutrients in supplement form can cause harm.

How Food Manufacturers Exploit Our  “Deficiency” Programming

The next time you are in the supermarket, notice the front labels of many food products that boast about the food’s protein content.  Apparently food manufacturers have discovered that Americans worry that they are deficient in protein.  It’s hard to imagine a nutrient less likely to be lacking in the American diet than protein. Manufacturers wouldn’t market the protein content of their foods if they didn’t think it would help sales. They are appealing to their customers’ perceived dietary deficiencies.

How can we use the “deficiency” mindset of friends, family or patients to increase the chances that they give a WFPB diet a chance?

As a dietitian, after assessing typical intake of a client, I am going to identify what is   deficient in his/her diet.  I’m going to make an effort to specifically use the word “deficient”.  I think it might grab a person’s attention more than “lacking” or “low in”.

Inevitably the person’s diet will be deficient in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes to varying degrees. It’s my job to help the individual determine the best ways to increase the intake of these foods.

Hopefully, the strong evidence that links large intakes of fruits, veggies, whole grains and legumes to reduced all-cause mortality, will be a motivator.   However, I must remember that fear of death as a motivator is not sustainable for most people, but the joy of living is.

So I must get folks to realize that there is a lot of evidence to show that a diet dominated by fruits, veggies, whole grains and legumes is likely to add years to our lives, AND life to our years.

Stay Healthy and Strong