A word to the wise............check and see who you are "in bed with"....
A recent report reveals that:
-The American Dietetic Association, which has never met a low-fat processed food it didn't like, is the official association for America's dietitians. It has received financial contributions from, among others, the National Soft Drink Association, ConAgra, Grocery Manufacturers of America, Monsanto, Proctor and Gamble, Potato Board, National Pasta Association, American Soy Products, National Dairy Council, and the National Cattleman's Beef Association.
The ADA issues 'fact sheets' that provide information on various nutrition and health topics. Most of these are underwritten by companies whose products are discussed in the fact sheets. Manufacturers that have given at least $100,000 towards the production of these sheets include Coca-Cola, Kellogg, Kraft Foods, Weight Watchers International, Campbell Soup, National Dairy Council, Nestle USA, General Mills, Monsanto, Nabisco, Procter and Gamble, Ross Products, Wyeth-Ayerst Labs, and Uncle Ben's.
-The American Heart Association operates a food endorsement program in which the Association's 'heart check' label is awarded to foods low in saturated fat and cholesterol. In order to receive the AHA's heart-check, manufacturers must pay the AHA $7,500 per product for 1-9 products, $6,750 for 10-24 products, and $5,940 for 25-99 products in the initial year. The cost for subsequent years is $4,500, $4,050, and $3,570, respectively. With over 630 products certified, it is estimated that the AHA earned over $2 million from its certification program in 2002.
Among the 'wholesome' foods that the AHA has deemed worthy of its heart-check are:
· General Mills Cheerios, Cocoa Puffs, Cookie Crisp, Corn Chex, and Count Chocula;
· Healthy Choice Low Fat Ice Creams,
· Chocolate Moose Milk Chocolate Drinks;
· Malt-O-Meal Frosted Mini Spooners, Honey Graham Squares, and Honey Nut Toasty O's;
· Kellogg's Frosted Mini-Wheats Big Bite;
· Kellogg's Nutri-Grain Cereal Bars;
· Pop-Secret 94% Fat Free Butter Microwave Premium Popcorn.
Pharmaceutical giant Merck, which manufactures the cholesterol-lowering drugs Mevacor and Zocor, is spending $400,000 to finance an AHA program inculcating 40,000 doctors with treatment cholesterol guidelines (these guidelines, by the way, are written by researchers with financial ties to cholesterol-lowering drug manufacturers like Merck(3)). Other lipid-lowering drug manufacturers that contribute to the AHA include Pfizer, Astra-Zeneca, and Bristol-Myers-Squibb.
- The American Diabetes Association is America's premiere diabetic organization which, for some bizarre reason, insists that the country's carbohydrate-intolerant diabetics should eat more carbohydrates. Drug companies and manufacturers of fat-free carbohydrate-rich foods are among the companies that stand to benefit from the ADA's regrettable advice and, lo and behold, can also be found on its sponsor sheet.
Among the companies that donated between $100,000-750,000 to the ADA in 2002 are (partial list):
($750,000)
Abbott Laboratories
Aventis Pharmaceuticals
BD Consumer Healthcare
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company
Eli Lilly and Company
GlaxoSmithKline
Merck & Co., Inc.
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
Novo Nordisk Pharmaceuticals
Pfizer Inc
Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America, Inc.
($500,000+)
Bayer Corporation
Kraft Foods
Roche Diagnostics Corporation
(250,000+)
Abbott Laboratories, Ross Product Division (Glucerna)
AstraZeneca
Merisant U.S., Inc. (Equal Sweetener)
Wyeth Pharmaceuticals
($100,000+)
Archway Cookies, LLC
Coolbrands International, Inc. (Eskimo Pie)
CVS/pharmacy
General Mills, Inc. (Fiber One)
Good Neighbor Pharmacy
KOS Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Murray Sugar Free Cookies
Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc.
Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical, Inc.
Rite Aid Pharmacy
Roche Pharmaceuticals
Schering Plough Healthcare Products, Inc.
Specialty Brands of America (Cary's Sugar Free Cookies)
The Procter & Gamble Company
Voortman Cookies Limited
http://livinlavidalocarb.blogspot.com/2006/02/8-year-study-exposes-low-fat-lie.html