Forget the South beach Diet or the Atkins Diet. Forget the Zone, the Grapefruit Diet or going Vegan or low-carb. Apparently the U.S. government has decided it knows best when it comes to what we should and should not eat. A recent series of proposed regulations have been causing quite a stir and have forced the public to reevaluate just how involved with their day-to-day lives they want their government to be. If these recommendations all become law, we could be looking at the first government-sponsored diet of sorts. For the sake of this article, let’s call these new proposed regulations, collectively, the ‘Bureau’ Diet (‘bureau’ as in bureaucratic). 

In the past couple of years there have been several proposals, each allowing Uncle Sam to dictate, in one way or another, what we put into our bodies. Take for example the recommendation that the government be allowed to dictate how much salt is allowed in our food.  Now I agree, as does any health professional, that most Americans eat more salt than they should but do we really want Uncle Sam telling us what amount is right for us? Who’s to say Uncle Sam is qualified to make that decision for us? Sure, the government can appoint a panel of medical professionals to help make that decision, however, today many government decisions are made ‘behind closed doors’. Many suspect payoffs, political favors and strong lobbyist activity to affect many government decisions. In fact, it has been proposed that the government ‘Food Pyramid’ was devised in large part by representatives from the dairy industry as a way of getting the public to consume more dairy products. 

How about the recently proposed idea that the government should tax soda?  Now no one is saying that the excessive consumption of soft drinks can’t contribute to obesity, however, obesity is a complex issue. Is taxing soda really going to produce a nation of healthy, slim people? Of course not! If the government decides to tax soda, why stop there? What’s next? Cupcakes? Hot dogs? Pizza? Are we going to let the government decide what we can and cannot eat? The whole idea is hilarious when you really think about it. Where does one draw the line? The point is there really is no clear cut, evidence-based place to draw the line. Many would argue sugar is unhealthy and that artificial sweeteners are a better choice. Still, others would argue that artificial sweeteners are unhealthy. Who’s right? Well it depends on what you believe and the bottom line is we should be able to believe what we want to when it comes to what we put into our bodies. Unfortunately, two states have already instituted a tax on soda. West Virginia and Arkansas currently have a soda tax in place.

The recent banning of toys in fast food kids’ meals is another example of how the government is attempting to mold the dietary choices of America. Now, again, I am not implying that fast food is good for kids. However, is it really the government’s place to tell us what to feed our kids? Perhaps part of the problem is that many parents rely all too often on fast food to feed their families. Worse yet, many of us rely on the government to tell us what is good for our kids. I suppose there is a subset of Americans that say to themselves, “Well if it is bad for us, would the government really allow it to be sold for us to eat?” As we just discussed, many decisions made at the government level may not necessarily have our best interests at heart and may be influenced by lobbyists and other factors. It is up to each and every one of us to educate ourselves about healthy eating so we can make informed decisions about food for ourselves and our families.

As hard as it is to swallow the fact that there are many compounding factors that prohibit our government from making sound decisions about our health, the new ‘Bureau Diet’ may be harder to swallow (pun intended). It is up to each of us to voice our opinions on the subject and make our voices heard by our city, state and federal representatives.

Author: Christi Larson, Pharm. D.

Dr. Larson is a pharmacist, author of Empowered Medicine; A Guide for Consumers and creator of Empowered Medicine. You can read more about her by visiting www.EmpoweredMedicine.com and clicking on the 'About Us' tab.  EmpoweredMedicine.com is committed to providing evidence-based medical information from a pharmacist's point of view.