ABSTRACT
The association between diet and health is ubiquitous. It can be found in daily conversation, advertisements, and television programs. We read about it in cartoons, magazine articles, and self-help books. Since the publication of the Surgeon General's report on diet and health in 1977, diet's relationship with health has become increasingly prevalent in the health care arena (1). Many a patient has dreaded the upcoming lecture on diet at the next doctor's appointment. Of course, there are good reasons that our society is obsessed with what we eat. After tobacco use, diet (combined with activity) pattern is considered the most prominent contributor to mortality in the United States (2).
