Extreme ‘clean’ eating may exclude essential nutrients

The push to eat only "pure, clean and healthy foods" is everywhere. The message implies that to do anything else is harmful to your health and even to the environment. As these concepts infiltrate national dietary guidelines, some experts are questioning this rather elitist approach to nutrition and health.

In a recent commentary article, professor Joanne Slavin of the University of Minnesota-St. Paul and previously a member of the prestigious Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, suggested the "nutrition elite" actually may be harming our health. These "food snobs" generally are more privileged than the average American. They can afford to purchase more expensive foods and are obsessed with eating "pure and clean" unprocessed foods. They really know what’s right for everyone. Their messages are black and white, pervasive and righteous.

As your brain processes these messages, you might feel like you lack self-control and would like to be more like these individuals who are so confident in their messages. You might even find yourself moving toward eating more raw foods along with those media-labeled "superfoods." To a certain extent this may be a good change, but taken to extremes it can backfire big time.

Question: Even if you can afford to eat this way, should you?

Answer: First and foremost to maintain or regain health, a person must consume all of the essential nutrients in amounts that allow your body to function normally and carry out thousands of chemical reactions needed for life. Essential nutrients include vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, the amino acid components of protein, water and carbohydrate. Some essential nutrients are antioxidants, but not all antioxidants or phytochemicals (plant chemicals) are essential nutrients.

When we don’t get an adequate supply of an essential nutrient, health declines. But this decline may not be obvious until months or even years after the dietary change, depending on the nutrient. By the time the nutrient deficiency is identified (if ever), damage to health can be irreversible.

Q: What common health problems develop from overly "pure" eating?

A: The type of damage to the body depends on the specific nutrient deficiency or combination of nutrient deficiencies that develop. For example, women eating primarily fruits, vegetables and whole grains are at high risk for developing an iron deficiency. Over time this deficiency can damage the intestines, impair the liver’s capacity to detoxify natural and man-made toxins, and affect brain function in ways that harm concentration and cause depression. In addition, low-iron status can damage intestinal integrity and increase the risk of developing allergies and food intolerances. Even thyroid problems can develop due to iron deficiency.

A recent study from Austria challenged some elitist assumptions. It was not designed to establish cause and effect, but it found that people consuming a vegetarian diet had more allergies, cancer and mental health disorders. It is well known that vegan diets (no animal foods) must be supplemented with vitamin B12 to prevent the serious fatigue, loss of short-term memory and neurological damage that occurs in a B12 deficiency.

A wide variety of foods is needed to meet nutrient needs. Even foods with the food snob’s "bad" label can have an important place in the diet. Don’t let the nutrition elite cramp your style or your nutrition!

Alan Titchenal, Ph.D., C.N.S., and Joannie Dobbs, Ph.D., C.N.S., are nutritionists in the Department of Human Nutrition, Food and Animal Sciences, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, University of Hawaii-Manoa. Dobbs also works with University Health Services.