Mission Statement

The Partnership for Essential Nutrition is a broad-based group of non-profit consumer, nutrition and public health organizations formed in 2004 to promote programs, policies and research that will advance public understanding about the essentials of a nutritionally balanced diet.

Created in response to new opinion research which finds that many consumers hold a stigmatized view about carbohydrates and other essential macronutrients, the Partnership for Essential Nutrition is dedicated to providing guidance regarding the important contribution that all three macronutrients -- carbohydrates, protein and fat -- play in promoting good health and successful weight loss and to present the latest scientific evidence describing a healthful range for each. As such, the Partnership will help to address the many misperceptions resulting from the recent "craze" towards no-and low-carbohydrate diets for weight loss, so the public will have complete, authoritative information upon which to make their food purchasing decisions.

Guiding Principles

Appropriate advice concerning the intake of macronutrients must be based on the federal government's Dietary Guidelines and the Food Guide Pyramid, which incorporate the latest research findings regarding recommended levels of all nutrients.
Information regarding the intake of carbohydrates must conform to the findings of the Institute of Medicine's report, Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrates, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein, and Amino Acids, which recommends that Americans consume at least 130 grams a day of carbohydrates from a variety of sources.
Just as consumers needed education about the role of fats during the "fat craze" of the 1990s, Americans today will benefit from balanced information about the role of carbohydrates in the diet. Of special importance will be to make the public aware that carbohydrates include fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy products and whole grains, which are important for controlling body weight, proper gut function, diabetes management and the prevention of life-threatening diseases like heart disease and cancer.
Appropriate advice concerning weight loss must be science-based and communicate the message that calories count. It is essential for the public to understand that consuming fewer calories -- whether the calories come from carbohydrates, protein or fat -- is what leads to weight loss.
A high priority must be given to health messages that extreme diets that exclude entire food groups -- fruits, vegetables, dairy, and grains -- are unhealthy because they are severely unbalanced and extremely high in fat. Such drastic diets are often accompanied by undesirable side effects and result in rapid weight gain or "snap back" because these diets cannot (and should not) be maintained.
Due to the amount of public confusion in the marketplace, a high priority must be placed on advocating for effective public policy to protect consumers from misleading "low-carb" claims in food and beverage marketing.
More comprehensive research is needed to accurately document the optimum mix of macronutrients in the diet. Research must focus on the mix of macronutrients for the purpose of weight loss as well as for long-term optimal health.

Priority Initiatives

To advance these principles, the Partnership for Essential Nutrition will conduct a public education initiative to help Americans separate fact from fiction regarding carbohydrates, fat and protein and their roles in better health. As part of this educational effort, the Partnership will utilize a wide variety of information channels, such as the mass media, print and broadcast advertising, the Internet and consumer education materials. Moreover, the CNC will respond to the "low-carb" confusion in the marketplace by conducting public policy initiatives that promote the responsible use of marketing claims.

Membership in the Partnership for Essential Nutrition is restricted to non-profit organizations and academic institutions. The 16 members of the Partnership for Essential Nutrition are: Alliance for Aging Research, American Association of Diabetes Educators, American Council on Science and Health, American Institute for Cancer Research, American Obesity Association, Harvard Medical School, MedStar Research Institute, National Consumers League, National Women’s Health Resource Center, Nutritional Sciences Program at the University of Washington, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Shape Up America!, Society for Women’s Health Research, University of California at Davis Department of Nutrition, UCLA Center for Human Nutrition, and Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center.