Why Won’t My Doctor Talk About My Diet?

The Exam Room by the Physicians Committee

Have you ever gone to the doctor and been given this ambiguous prescription for “diet and exercise?” The exercise part seems straight forward, but for many doctors food remains a medical mystery.

That’s a major problem given the fact that poor diet quality has surpassed smoking to become the leading cause of death and disability in the U.S. In fact, 70 percent of all chronic diseases are believed to be linked to diet and lifestyle.

On this episode of The Exam Room Podcast™, Dr. Neal Barnard joins “The Weight Loss Champion” Chuck Carroll to explore why doctors don’t know much about diets. As you’ll learn, the problem begins long before they ever enter practice, it begins in medical school. The lack of nutrition education in the curriculum is jaw-dropping despite an increasing amount of research showing that many chronic disease-related deaths could have been prevented by dietary changes.

Dr. Barnard also shares how YOU can help fix the problem by speaking with your own doctors and help them understand that vitamin C comes from more than just a pill or glass of orange juice. Your conversations with them about nutrition and the benefits of a plant-based diet can literally help to save a life.

And if you think your doctor won’t listen? Think again. A survey among physicians published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition finds that 94 percent of them feel nutrition counseling should be part of primary care visits. However, only 14 percent feel like they are able to adequately talk about it, but your conversation can help change that.

You’ll also get tips on how to begin those conversations and how to have them with friends and family who may be skeptical of a vegan diet.

This episode originally aired on Facebook Live.

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Twitter: @ChuckCarrollWLC / @DrNealBarnard / @PCRM

IG: @ChuckCarrollWLC / @PhysiciansCommittee

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