My favorite question when addressing a group with nutrition as the topic is. “Does anyone have any hot, burning questions?” This sets the tone for the next two hours. Actually, the attempts by almost everyone to try to use good nutrition means the questions never cease. People are trying to understand how two opposing views can both be scientifically proven.

Here are the five nutrient categories and what has not changed over the past fifty years..

Vitamins:
Back and forth about which vitamins and how much (Everyone agrees that folic acid needs attention.)

Minerals:
Back and forth almost monthly (Everyone agrees that calcium needs attention.)

Fats:
Back and forth depending on who makes the statement. (Pork lobby or potato lobby)

Carbohydrate:
Most recently the “low-carbs” lobby did what had never been done in American nutrition history. Previously, the back and forth (positive and negative) ideas were probably the result of the failure to understand the difference between complex carbohydrates and simple sugars.

Protein:
Almost the same. Can’t live without it, but too much dehydrates.

Needs: (grams/day)
Males 55
Females 45
Kids 35

Note: The average American eats 100 grams per day!