They are working on updating the recommended dietary guidelines for 2020-2025, and it seems the same falsehoods are persisting in the government’s report. Action Alert!
Every five years, the government undergoes a process to update its Dietary Guidelines for Americans. One of the initial phases of this process is a Scientific Report from an advisory committee that makes recommendations on certain matters. That Scientific Report was just released for the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines Committee and, unsurprisingly, it continues to miss the mark on a number of key issues, including saturated fat, added sugars, red meat, and others. These failures underscore why the government shouldn’t be in the business of offering nutrition advice in the first place.
The Scientific Report continues the previous guidelines’ error in urging a lower intake of saturated fat. This is based on outdated and largely disproven research. Historically the claim has been an alleged link to heart disease. However, more recent evidence shows that saturated fat is not, in fact, linked to heart disease. Rather saturated fat has been proven to have a number of health benefits, including improved cardiovascular risk factors and liver health, stronger bones, healthy lungs and brain, proper nerve signaling, and a strong immune system. Some saturated fats, such as coconut oil, are considered superfoods.
The report also states that “Replacing saturated with unsaturated fats in the diet also reduces serum total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in all adults and some children, especially boys.” This seems to echo the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines, which told us to “eat as little dietary cholesterol as possible” to protect our hearts. The best research today says that this is nonsense. Dietary cholesterol is not what determines our cholesterol level since the body makes its own. And many people today have too little cholesterol rather than too much, especially since so many are on statin drugs and both “good” and “bad” cholesterol are essential for our health. The problem with “bad” cholesterol is when it becomes oxidized. Fortunately, there is a blood test to measure it—the OX-LDL test, but very few doctors are telling their patients about this important test.
Another concerning recommendation relates to added sugars. The report notes the risks of overconsumption of added sugars in terms of chronic disease and recommends that Americans consume less than 6 percent of energy from added sugars, down from 10 percent recommended in the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines. Why is the government recommending any added sugar at all? Any integrative doctor or nutrition professional worth his or her “salt” will advise patients (in most cases) to strictly limit their sugar intake, and to eliminate added sugar completely—in particular artificial sweeteners and highly processed forms like high fructose corn syrup. American already consumes three pounds of sugar every week. This consumption is estimated to have caused chronic diseases that cost an extra $1 trillion in healthcare spending between 1995 and 2012.
The Scientific Report also includes recommendations to reduce consumption of red meat—this is misleading due to the significant difference in nutritional content between corn-fed beef raised in concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) and grass-fed, pasture-raised beef. Everyone needs iron, although not too much, and beef is one of the best sources.
All of this wrong advice emphasizes that the government is in no place to be giving dietary advice to Americans.
The report contains an interesting admission: “Diet is a modifiable factor that is critically relevant to the primary and secondary prevention of most non-communicable diseases and the leading causes of disability and death affecting Americans.” In other words: food is medicine. It’s too bad that federal agencies systematically undermine our ability to use food as medicine. The FDA and FTC have launched a massive censorship campaign against doctors and clinics for informing the public about scientifically-supported ways to use food and supplements to protect against and treat COVID-19.
Why this hostility to the seemingly uncontroversial concept of food as medicine? Because food and supplements don’t make Big Pharma and the FDA money. The FDA gets a large part of its funding from drug company user fees, and for this reason sees Big Pharma as its client. Supplements and other natural products compete with pharmaceutical drugs, so the FDA uses its enormous power to tilt the scales in favor of the drug companies. And because natural products generally cannot be patent-protected like drugs can, they can’t afford FDA-approval and so cannot make disease claims. It is one among many ways cronyism is undermining healthcare in this country.
Action Alert! Sign our petition that seeks to reform a healthcare system that blocks access to natural treatments that generally cannot go through FDA approval, and send a message to the USDA pointing out the errors in their committee’s recommendations. Please send your message immediately.
I think feds are right and you are promoting a junk science.
What research are you basing your comment on to make this statement or are you trolling to entice individuals into argument? There is plenty of research to back up the comments made by Alliance for Natural Health. You, of course, have a choice to continue to believe everything the government says and does. By doing a little bit of research, you will find that everything stated by Alliance for Natural Health is true. I am a Functional Nutritionist and can’t find any honest literature or research to back up the statements that we should be allowed some processed sugar daily or weekly. Additionally, we need cholesterol, which our body naturally makes, for many of our body’s functions, especially brain function. If you want to continue to follow the FDA’s recommendations, then go ahead. Just saying, a little information on your part could help you to avoid a lot health issues in the future.
I think troll removal is necessary for “Olga”
According to a respected doctor, the scientists were *directed* as to what they could and could not include in their report, regardless of what the science showed!
The GOVERNMENT really must stay out of trying to give Nutritional advice to anyone. Mind the business you are
paid to do, voted in to do.
Be certain your latest guidance is accurate and true to the message. Fine anyone who promotes a false narrative.
I have a BA in Chemistry from Cornell University and a PhD in Nutrition Science from UC Davis, and am a Registered Dietitian. I totally agree with everything the Alliance for Natural Health says. Food in its natural form is best. People in the 1800s ate a lot of cholesterol in meat and butter, and had no heart disease. Heart disease, diabetes mental problems started with the advent of electricity, as discussed in the book The Invisible Rainbow, A History of Electricity and Life by Arthur Firstenberg. Also, in the 1930s, physicians were shocked to find the first clogged arteries when doing autopsies. There was none before that. That was when processed foods were introduced, particularly white sugar and flour. I highly recommend listening to the recommendations of the Alliance for Natural Health.
Nancy Reinstein PhD, RD
Please, let us all inform what kind of protection the FDA is after… their own pocket and the ones from who support them!
sick people spend money , healthy people don,t.
It would be easier and quicker for your subscribers to send letters to Congress and agencies if you would provide a sample letter. This would contain the key points, and could be customized by us writers to make the letters more individual
Hi Karl,
Thank you for your support!
Our Action Alert contains a letter that we’ve already drafted, and gives you the option to add your own comments. If you don’t see the Action Alert link on the article then you can access it directly, here: https://secure3.convio.net/aahf/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=3603/.
I hope this helps!
No getting around it no matter what aspect of it you’re looking at, government involvement equals corruption and self-serving greed.
I am so tired of my government making REAL MISTAKES in health care. COMMON SENSE mistakes!
Natural products I’ve used for 41 years are in jeopardy! That’s not right!
Please approve biological, herbal and homeopathic medicines and supplements. They work without the side effects of big pharma drugs and often fix the problem better.
Thanks!
the plant based diet has been proven to help all people, Doctors are steady making money off of women in arlaming ways ,I am standing up and saying enough is enough
All of this wrong advice emphasizes that the government is in no place to be giving dietary advice to Americans.
The report contains an interesting admission: “Diet is a modifiable factor that is critically relevant to the primary and secondary prevention of most non-communicable diseases and the leading causes of disability and death affecting Americans.” In other words: food is medicine. It’s too bad that federal agencies systematically undermine our ability to use food as medicine. The FDA and FTC have launched a massive censorship campaign against doctors and clinics for informing the public about scientifically-supported ways to use food and supplements to protect against and treat COVID-19.
Has all the information about food and VARYING body metabolisms been included in the government’s decision on what is the best diet. Really is there any best diet for all people. Doesn’t make sense to me.
Dear Virginia, yes there IS a BEST DIET FOR ALL PEOPLE. It can be found in the Bible in the very first book, Genesis! The 100% plant-based diet first recommended at the beginning of time for this planet, fruits, nuts, grains, then after the Sin virus was introduced, legumes and herbs were introduced for the healing of Mankind NOT chemicals/drug therapy! It’s good for ALL PEOPLE because we were ALL created in the image of CREATOR-GOD and so no matter where on Earth we live it is good for all Humans. It’s proven by those living in the BLUE ZONES of this planet. Seventh-day Adventists are made up of people from every corner of this planet every kind of nationality and they of this group who adhere to a plant-based diet are the healthiest and live the longest and are the most active of people even in old age. There’s surgeons who still do surgeries well into their old age so the answer is a definite YES. A diet for ALL PEOPLE that is both Biblical and Scientifically proven!!!
Reform a healthcare system that blocks access to natural treatments that generally cannot go through FDA approval.
Olga, I m sorry that you don’t believe this new science. You commented before Nancy, the PhD and RD, was able to add her valuable observations (which I believe). Be careful what the FDA is trying to do to us with their so-called “science.” Remember the old bumper sticker “Go to Health, FDA!” ?
Once again, the FDA is cozying-up with Big Food and all the other big “players” and keeping people’s health and best-interest at the bottom of the list …. it’s all about MONEY and GREED. Extremely sad for mankind.