Scopus Magazine 2023

ALUMNI ESSAYS
the
Impacting
Nutrition
of a Nation
By Dr. Dorit Adler
It all started with a book. I was studying for my BSc in
nutrition science and had just finished reading Diet for a
Small Planet. The book’s lengthy bibliography drew me to
the library, where I began reading through the sources and
discovered what evidence-based science looked like. My
identity as a scientist was born.
My next two degrees were in public
health, also at the Hebrew University.
Throughout my career, I have never
stopped advocating for healthy,
evidence-based policies. I’ve carried
the message of science through leadership
positions at Hadassah and a
variety of governmental, public, and
civic society organizations, both in Israel
and the United Nations.
Yet my greatest pride is serving as
president of the Israeli Forum for Sustainable
Nutrition (IFSN), which comprises
professionals and researchers
from disparate fields who together
advocate for healthier food and food
policies. For the first six years, we were
all volunteers—for the sake of objectivity.
We agreed to only raise money that
was free of conflicts of interests, which
turned out to be very difficult.
SUGAR: IT’S NOT ALL SWEET
Unbelievably, international studies have
shown that Israel is one of the top consumers
of sugar and sweetened beverages
per capita, especially by teenagers
and lower socioeconomic populations,
and even often babies. Even our excellent
health care system can’t fix this.
As a result, Israel has the highest rate
of diabetic amputations of all OECD
countries. This burdens the health care
system while reducing productivity and
quality of life.
The economic costs are staggering.
Here in Israel, treating diabetes and