tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2953596682088689122.post1081662536516442840..comments2011-04-17T09:31:33.727-07:00Comments on Sane Opinions in an Insane World: Health Guidelines and Food StampsDon Pawlowskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09004646278997543863noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2953596682088689122.post-82767693907305927822011-02-07T20:26:28.928-08:002011-02-07T20:26:28.928-08:00The reason why government agencies need to officia...The reason why government agencies need to officiate guidelines (for instance, Healthy People 2010 with the new DRIs) is because professionals such as doctors and dietitians are licensed by the state and government to consult patients and therefore can only follow government regulations. Yes, organizations such as the American Heart Association have been recommending a lower calorie, lower sodium, overall healthier diet for years, but the practitioners that patients are going to usually don't work for private organizations like the AHA but the U.S. government. It's really sad because a licensed practitioner may have to advise a patient on something that the practitioner does not believe in just to avoid liability issues. Moreover, the SNAP program, as well as other food assistance programs, do have limits on what people can buy while in the program. Most people are required to go through an educational program and are given suggested menus and whatnot. So, when you see a person in the SNAP program buying groceries, they're most likely using their government money for day to day basics (cereal, milk, bananas, etc) and then using their own money to buy unhealthy foods (an unfortunate situation).Eileennoreply@blogger.com