If this is your guide, you'll never be short on sugar

We are under a bombardment of information. We open a video. Then sound, color, a talking face, colorful and large text appearing every now and then... We are exposed to heaps of information. We receive a multitude of messages accompanied by a beautiful or handsome human face, packaged in large, loud, and colorful ways: "Buy this product," "eat this product," "behave like this," "think like this." Along with all of this, we are told that certain things are beautiful, healthy, delicious, and cool, and that we must take certain steps to be cool ourselves.

Those of us hit by this sparkling, colorful, huge, and loud bombardment of information, if we are not visually impaired, if we are looking at the screen at that moment, and if our field of vision is not narrow, we quickly wake up from this capitalist dream with a warning written in tiny, rigid language.

Let's say we are watching a delicious ice cream entering a wonderfully clean and well-kept mouth in an advertisement. Just as we are thinking about getting aesthetic work done on our mouths, or being with someone who has a beautiful mouth, or skipping all that and just buying the ice cream, thanks to the warning at the bottom, we decide to "consume 5 portions of vegetables or fruit a day." I thought about this when the ad ended. I wonder where this wonderful advice came from? In 2022, the Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Health General Directorate of Public Health prepared a text called the Türkiye Nutrition Guide (TÜBER). Those who prepared it for publication are not medical doctors, physiologists, or anything of the sort; they are dietitians affiliated with the Department of Healthy Nutrition and Active Life. There is not a single physician or basic scientist involved in the writing, auditing, or consulting processes of the guide. Naturally, when these are missing, many methodological problems arise. But let's set those aside for now.

I want to leave the noble task of writing about the obsolescence of this guide to the experts on the subject. Let's wait a while longer, otherwise, we will be forced to take on this task ourselves.

For now, let's return to the advertisement. Under these ice cream ads, there is a tiny but serious suggestion to consume 5 portions of vegetables or fruit. As if eating ice cream wasn't enough, we are also going to eat 5 portions of fruit. Please note: "vegetables" or "fruit"! As if these two were equivalent! I am quoting the expression exactly: "It should not be forgotten that at least 5 portions of vegetables and fruit should be eaten daily." This means, for example, we should eat 5 portions of bananas and, in addition, 5 portions of vegetables and other meals.

Where do you think this ad got this "brilliant" information? From this guide, of course. But they didn't write this guide under the ad. This guide is a marvel. It seriously recommends drinking milk, even against obesity. It also recommends freshly squeezed fruit juices. It is written exactly like this: "...healthy beverages such as water, milk, ayran, and freshly squeezed fruit juice should be preferred." (p. 44) Unbelievable, right? Furthermore, the following expression is included: "In the daily diet, fruit consumption can be met with dried fruits and fresh fruit juices in addition to fresh fruits." (p. 72). What is understood from this statement is that instead of 5 portions of fruit, that much fruit juice can also be consumed.

French fries, chips, cookies, sugary cereals, granola bars, pastries, fatty milk, pudding, cream, sausages, salami, sports and energy drinks, sugary hot or cold drinks, fruit-flavored flowers, and drinks with added cream are to be "preferred rarely." The implication is that we should prefer poison, even if rarely.

The same guide contains the following expressions: "The ketogenic diet is one of the most used objectionable diets regarding weight loss." It doesn't stop there; it is stated that it can result in death. Not only are the many benefits brought by this diet not mentioned, but the results of "ketoacidosis," which has nothing to do with the diet, are listed as if they were the results of this diet. A similar bias and commentary containing no objective evaluation are also included for intermittent fasting.

Praise for sugar is not missing from the guide. For example, it says, "products with the label 'does not contain added sugar' should be preferred." (p. 29)

This guide is not just any text. It is supposedly written for public health and is intended to be a guide to protect consumers against producers. However, it has almost turned into a recommendation text that protects the producer more than the consumer. For example, there is this critical sentence: "Plant-based milks should not be presented as an alternative to cow's milk for children (especially under 2 years old)." (p. 73) This is a complete scandal. With this statement, not only is cow's milk recommended, but it is recommended for children, even children under 2 years old. Families are frightened by being told what will happen if they do not consume milk, with possible diseases being listed. Let us state from the beginning: cow's milk, goat's milk, in short, no milk produced for the offspring of another creature or made to be produced by that creature is a healthy food for humans. Let's suffice with saying this for now. If a response is received, we can elaborate on this subject further.

I wonder if we will ever see an activity that truly cares about public health? If the guide is like this, God help us with the rest!