Before we get into April's nutrition news, here's what you may have missed this month at CIHAS...
In my advice column this month I answer two reader questions - read on for a fact-check of 'calories in, calories out', and whether kids drinking juice is really as bad as we are told. I had a brilliant chat with historian Dr Emily Baughan on the history of milk feeding infants, and current knowledge concerning evidence around breastfeeding. Plus I go deep into the politics of kids' menus, and why one Guardian writer reveals a lot more than they intended when they took their four-year-old on a quest to find a more 'adventurous' kids' restaurant menu:
Plus, we've had some great discussion threads, from mum dinner to how to stop the food noise, to a CIHAS roll call where we introduce ourselves to one another and share a bit about why we're here. Come join in!
The Snackcord were rightly outraged by the latest development in school dinners. The government have opened a consultation on proposals to tighten up regulations around sugar in school puddings and fried foods. They’re also proposing to increase the amount of fibre in things like bread and pasta and availability of fresh fruit and vegetables (no juice though!). They are generously allowing plain, unsalted crackers and breadsticks at snack time though, #blessed.
The consultation will be open for 9 weeks and rules will be enforced in primary schools from September this year. Secondary schools – who have more changes to make – will have a phased roll-out of the new regulations.
Schools have understandably raised concerns about cost. The sentiment in the Snackcord was overwhelmingly, BUT WHAT ABOUT FREE SCHOOL MEALS??? It remains to be seen if the new rules will actually produce food that is acceptable to the average nine-year-old within budget (doubtful). Personally, I’d rather have mid nutrition standards if it meant that kids actually ate the food. And more than anything, I want universal free school meals for all the kids, not just ones on UC. Basing this on nothing but vibes, but I think our priority should be on feeding everyone rather than making very marginal tweaks to the nutrition standards but I’m just a guy and nobody asked me.
Berberine - a chemical compound found in plants such as barberry and goldenseal - has been described online as ‘nature’s Ozempic’. Long used in Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine for digestive disorders and other ailments, it’s thought to activate an enzyme called activated protein kinase (AMPK) which helps the body manage blood sugar and insulin sensitivity. As an over-the-counter supplement, some clinical trials have shown modest weight loss with certain doses, although evidence is weak - and now supplement companies have jumped on the weight loss claims with Berberine and put it into a…patch? They claim these miracle patches help with cravings, weight management, metabolic imbalances, and the influencers are in agreement too ($$$). Better supplement regulation please. And maybe regulate the influencers whilst you’re at it?
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Upcoming webinar! Raising Embodied Eaters will be hosted online on Thursday 14th May at 7-8.30pm BST. This workshop is designed for parents and caregivers, as well as teachers/nutrition professionals/anyone else involved in feeding kids, and aims to help you feel more confident and resourced at all stages of kid-feeding, from starting to solids to older independent eaters. Find out more and grab your £15 tickets here.
Novo Nordisk, the pharmaceutical company who make the GLP-1 drugs Wegovy and Ozempic, has been given a slap on the wrist by the FDA for not following appropriate governance protocols around Postmarketing Adverse Drug Experiences (PADEs). The letter from the FDA to Novo cites inappropriate reporting around the drugs semaglutide, liraglutide, nedosiran sodium, and estradiol, including serious adverse outcomes and death. Given that Novo are one of the biggest in the game, they’re not exactly new to reporting, so like, what the fuck?? Hard to imagine they just forgot. Anyway, thank goodness for Ragen for doing the Lord’s work here.
Bee Wilson is, yet again, on a mission to expose the baby food industry. This piece got a lot of people talking on LinkedIn, the Snackcord, and in my nutrition group chat. But I don't think there's really anything new here. Just the same old hand-wringing and pointing the blame at the food industry, rather than addressing deeper social inequality and injustice. And, as I have said repeatedly, if we want people to eat well, we should feed them. Blaming the food industry is all very well, except it only serves to recapitulate a neoliberal culture of individual responsibility with the veneer of liberal progress.
