The government's idea of a healthy diet

**Just a Girl** · 07-11-2009 11:24 AM

I have recently applied for a job as a dietician's assistant and my friend, who does the same job, has given me some tips incase I am lucky enough to get an interview.

She said the NHS use the eatwell plate as a guide to healthy eating so I decided to have a read about it.

I'm just puzzled. Is this what they really class as a healthy diet?

I know for the average, sedentary person sitting in front of the tv eating pizza, ready meals and other crap, following the eatwell plate will be an improvement. However, when they write things such as:

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Choose lower fat options when you can

they really should follow it with:

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Even though the product will have been packed with fillers, artificial sweeteners and other chemicals to make it palatable

**dope540** · 07-11-2009 11:30 AM

yup.

pants advice from advisors and big pharma companies contributing.

as long as you're getting paid, and the clients/patients are getting some results, thats all that matters.

**NU_nutrition_TS** · 07-11-2009 11:34 AM

That is why I couldn't be a dietician! Square the recommendations of the 'eatwell plate' with this:

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Conclusion: These cross-sectional findings support the hypothesis that a high GI diet unfavorably affects CVD risk factors and therefore, substitution of high with low GI dietary carbohydrates may have reduce the risk of CVD.

Dietary Carbohydrates and Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors in the Framingham Offspring Cohort -- McKeown et al. 28 (2): 150 -- Journal of the American College of Nutrition

And this:

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Two years of a low-fat diet had caused Rob's LDL particle number to skyrocket by 81%, nearly all due to an explosion of small LDL. Recall that small LDL is more susceptible to oxidation, more inflammation-provoking, more adhesive--the form of LDL particles most likely to cause heart disease.

The Heart Scan Blog: The disastrous results of a low-fat diet

**Seebsy** · 07-11-2009 11:40 AM

JAG , personally I would be in a right dilemma ,not sure if I could take a job that involves bullsh*tting for a living . Sorry , I shouldn't try and put you off ,we all need to work . Maybe you will be the person to start to make a difference , "The One"

Maybe follow their advice from training and then "tweak" it over time once you convince your colleagues that you know best .
Good luck mate .

**dope540** · 07-11-2009 11:44 AM

you'll just have to separate work and your own beliefs JaG.

i'm glad my profession is based on common sense really. even though there is research and eveidnece supporting it, it all still comes down to common sense.

**stronglikewood** · 07-11-2009 11:46 AM

I must be careful what I write here but I've been able to speak to 5 qualified dietetians over the past couple of months and they've put me off from applying for dietetics next year. Some of the stuff they've said to me has left me shaking my head in disbelief and I don't think I would be able to stand it (that plus there being very few places available).

I have been chuckled at for weight-training and the fact I supplement with protein.
I have been told most of society overeats protein
I have been told you can tell people who supplement with protein because they radiate a cheesy smell. (I'm being 100% serious, I was told this by someone who has worked for sports Scotland).

And the usual fats are bad blah blah, cut back.

Can I say that all 5 of these experts are overweight and I'd say 4 could probably be classed as morbidly obese.

**Just a Girl** · 07-11-2009 11:51 AM

Quote

Originally Posted by Seebsy

JAG , personally I would be in a right dilemma ,not sure if I could take a job that involves bullsh*tting for a living . Sorry , I shouldn't try and put you off ,we all need to work . Maybe you will be the person to start to make a difference , "The One"

Maybe follow their advice from training and then "tweak" it over time once you convince your colleagues that you know best .
Good luck mate .

Since I started reading up about it, I'm having second thoughts, I won't lie. I don't think I could spout this crap to people who are trying to get healthier. My friend who does this for a job said she has learned to bite her tongue and save her "real" advice for her PT clients but I'm not like that. I can't promote something I don't believe in.

Quote

Originally Posted by stronglikewood

I must be careful what I write here but I've been able to speak to 5 qualified dietetians over the past couple of months and they've put me off from applying for dietetics next year. Some of the stuff they've said to me has left me shaking my head in disbelief and I don't think I would be able to stand it (that plus there being very few places available).

I have been chuckled at for weight-training and the fact I supplement with protein.
I have been told most of society overeats protein
I have been told you can tell people who supplement with protein because they radiate a cheesy smell. (I'm being 100% seirous, I was told this by someone who has worked for sports Scotland).

And the usual fats are bad blah blah, cut back.

Can I say that all 5 of these experts are overweight and I'd say 4 could probably be classed as morbidly obese.

It really doesn't surprise me. There is a woman on another diet/fitness website I use who spouts that crap at any post that mentions protein. She's not morbidly obese or owt but she looks like crap!

**stronglikewood** · 07-11-2009 11:59 AM

Just curious Just_a_girl did you study dietetics at uni?

**Just a Girl** · 07-11-2009 12:03 PM

No, I never went to Uni. Anything I have learned has been because of my own research. I don't profess to know a lot, but I know enough to have built myself a pretty good physique

**HBK** · 07-11-2009 12:05 PM

I was in a similar situation a while ago and changed my mind about applying for the job in the end. I haven't personally been to a dietician but I have tagged along with my dad on a couple of occasions, purely out of curiosity of what they'd advise.
My absolute favourite piece of advice they gave him and I'm not kidding They told him that there's too much fat in the milk he puts in his tea and should switch to skimmed. He wasn't even drinking the milk, just 3 cups of tea a day with a drop of whole milk.
They also gave him the age old advice of eat low fat versions of everything, advising him to swap meat for ready meals.

My conclusion to you though is that if you don't give them this advice somebody else will so you might as well make some money if you can live with telling them what you're told to.