ADA receives over $1 million a year in payments from pharmaceutical companies

Taught and paid for

As you know, I’ve never been a fan of the American Dietetic Association–for many reasons. But wait until you hear this…

“An ongoing investigation by Congress recently revealed that the ADA receives over $1 million a year in payments from pharmaceutical companies and an undisclosed amount from companies such as Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Hershey. In addition to receiving payments from industries with obvious conflicts of interest…ADA’s continuing education courses for [registered dieticians] are being taught by the Coca-Cola Company’s Beverage Institute,” stated Darrell Rogers from Alliance for Natural Health-USA.

Now, if that isn’t a juicy bit of gossip, I don’t know what is.

But the implications go beyond simply tarnishing the ADA’s image. In fact, this scandal affects every single one of us. That’s because the ADA is the professional organization of registered dieticians (RDs) in this country. And RDs accounted for seven out of eight members of the “Independent Scientific Review Panel” formed to evaluate the USDA’s Dietary Guidelines for 2010.

According to the USDA, they hand-picked the panel members “for their knowledge in nutrition communication and dietary guidance.”

Sounds great. Except for the fact that that “knowledge” is being taught and paid for by the companies that willingly keep us fat, unhealthy, and diabetic.

It’s important to note that dieticians and certified clinical nutritionists (like myself and many others) are two distinct groups and are at constant war with each other. I’ll save that story for another day… For now, suffice it to say that the relationship between the USDA, the ADA, and the very companies whose products are making the world a fatter, sicklier place to live isn’t doing anyone any favors. And neither are the Dietary Guidelines that came out of it.

Stick with my New Hamptons Health Miracle–it’s based on real science and recommendations that just make sense. No hidden agendas.


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