Monday, September 26, 2011

Crazy RD tweets from 2011 American Dietetic Association #FNCE conference?


I'm a Twitter junkie and this weekend I've been on Twitter overload no thanks to the American Dietetic Association's Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo (hashtag #FNCE).

Something I'm really struck by.

The number of Tweets from RDs that are promoting a particular processed food product.

In just one hour worth of #FNCE lunch hour Tweets, I've seen RDs shilling:

- Jimmy Dean Sausages
- I Can't Believe it's Not Butter
- Craisins
- McDonald's
- Sun Chips
- Sugar sweetened breakfast cereals
- Welch's Grape Juice
- California Almond Trail Mix
- Dietz and Watson Deli Meats
- Dietz and Watson Hot Dogs
- Brummel and Brown Spread

And to be fair, there were also tweets promoting a few whole, unadulterated, foods including:

- Fresh Figs
- Avocados
- Pistachios

There were also plenty more tweets that didn't feature any product or food at all, but I want to go back to the products.

Now I'm definitely not an RD. I mean that in a very real and meaningful way and not in a snarky one. Most of the RDs I've met have far broader nutritional knowledge bases than me, and go figure, they spent a great deal of time studying nutrition.

That said, and keeping my admittedly more meager knowledge base in mind, wouldn't the nation be healthier with a return to cooking? Where processed products that make life "easier" are actively discouraged? Where hot dogs, Sun Chips, Craisins (with 3x the sugar and calories of raisins due to the fact they're sugar sweetened), Jimmy Dean sausages and grape juice were foods RDs went out of their way to steer folks around rather than give tweeted shout outs?

RDs? Thoughts?