Every five years, the Department of Health and Human Services, along with the Department of Agriculture, issues "Dietary Guidelines for Americans".
This Federal Publication Determines How We Will Be Nudged Into Eating From Marketing, Food Labeling And Most Doctor/Nutritionist's Office.
Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee issues 2015 scientific report is groundbreaking in one way - it is taking cholesterol off the bad guys food list. Kinda sad, though, that something we have known for decades to be a biochemical indisputable fact - humans NEED cholesterol to thrive - is now finally going mainstream.
Cholesterol In Food Is No Longer Considered A "Nutrient Of Concern" And Has Little Effect On Blood Cholesterol, Report Says.
Well, it certainly should be a nutrient of concern in another way - low cholesterol is linked to depression, insufficient hormone production and autoimmune disorders.
Cholesterol Is A Key Defense Player To Fight Inflammation And A Vital Part Of Every Healthy Cell Structure.
It is mind blowing how saturated fat could ever get a bad rep. I have been talking about the benefits of cholesterol and saturated fats from a biochemical perspective ever since I started working in the nutrition field. Yet, it has been one of the most difficult myths to debunk ever admittedly.
We Need Cholesterol And Saturated Fat To Ward Off Chronic Diseases Like Cancer, Osteoporosis, Mental Disorders And More. Saturated Fat Helps To Stabilize Our Cells And Produce Hormones.
The studies done that tend to show a connection between cholesterol intake and heart disease, do not differ with regards to what else they are eating - donuts, white bread, pasta, soda, high-fructose corn syrup etc. These are all chemical bombs wrapped up as foods, and yet we choose to focus on the saturated fat content to come up with the result we want to see.
Did You Know That Margarine Sold Sky High During Our Saturated Fat Phobia?
Yes, there are many reasons to pay for studies, apart from supporting public health. Most are supported by vested interest companies, making many so-called peer-reviewed studies useless. Simply because they already have decided what conclusion they want to reach from the get-go.
Saturated Fat Is Part Of The Cell Structure For Goodness Sake.
It is common sense that humans NEED these type of fats for optimal health. When you understand biochemically how humans function, you don't need to wait for peer reviewed studies to decide what to eat.
This Is Basic Biochemistry.
Yet it seems many "experts" in the healthcare field didn't take biochemistry classes apparently. Or maybe they got sponsored - happens a lot btw. This is one of the reasons olive oil got massive hyped up; paid marketing. Nothing wrong with olive oil, it's just not as magical as everyone was led to believe. Especially since most olive oils are blends of cheaper oils incl. LAMP OIL (uhm hello?) and thereby actually health DAMAGING. But this is another topic - all I can say is google "olive oil controversy"; you can still find good olive oil, but it is rare. Alternatively use avocado, macadamia, walnut, flax, coconut or butter when looking for pure fats good-for-you. Different fats have different benefits, so unless you are targeting a specific health need, you want to get a range of different fats - choose whatever is tasty to you and you'll be just fine.
Just Please Don't Begin To Roll Around In Butter Now.
With this news coming, many of us will probably tend to go to the other extreme - as we are already seeing in the paleo community - rolling in bacon and drinking butter like water. Again, we just don't seem to want to understand the concept of balance. I don't know about you, but I am not made from butter nor just saturated fat - that's not how my body runs, my brain prefers carbs, my cells prefer saturated fat, my hormones prefer medium chain fats, my blood prefers unsaturated fats and my neurotransmitter signaling needs protein.
Overly simplified, but hopefully you get my point.
In Any Case, When In Doubt, Trust Nature.
My personal mantra for living a life without obsessing over science and food is simply, If nature made it I eat it.
References:
Annals of Internal Medicine Association of Dietary, Circulating, and Supplement Fatty Acids With Coronary Risk: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Rajiv Chowdhury MD, PhD et al. Dietary Guidelines For America 2015 Olive Oil Fraud Class Certified in New York. Corey Bennett, Esq.; Law Dolce Vita, March 04, 2014.