| How did the "dietary fat is bad" roller coaster get | | | | also benefit the brain, improve arthritis symptoms |
| started? Investigative reporter Gary Taub in his | | | | and skin tone.For the last 20 years the Food |
| insightful and through research report published in | | | | Pyramid put together by the National Institute of |
| the New York Times Magazine explains what | | | | Health has expounded the following advice: "Start |
| happened."It all began in 1977", says Taub, "when | | | | off with plenty of breads, cereals, rice, pasta, |
| a Senate committee led by George McGovern | | | | vegetables and fruit and go easy on the fats, oils |
| published its 'Dietary Goals for the United States', | | | | and sweets."As you can see, the NIH lumps |
| which warned Americans to curb their fat intake | | | | vegetables, fruit and white flour in the same box |
| to abate a supposed epidemic of "killer diseases". | | | | and makes the unlikely association of essential |
| It peaked in 1984, when the National Institutes of | | | | fatty acids with sugar. This food pyramid would |
| Health officially recommended that all Americans | | | | be closer to accurate if it was turned upside |
| eat less fat.The food industry jumped on the | | | | down. The new one published recently isn't much |
| roller coaster with a flood of new low fat | | | | better but at least it finally requires manufacturers |
| products to meet the new recommendations. Fat | | | | to list trans fats on the label. Trans fats are far |
| was replaced with sugar or high fructose corn | | | | more dangerous than saturated fat. What more |
| syrup to replace lost flavor. Millions were spent on | | | | could you expect from a government |
| advertising as the "low fat train" picked up | | | | bureaucracy?The link between eating fat and |
| speed.The low fat diet message effectively | | | | getting heart disease has never been proven |
| ignores the fact that some fats, such as olive oil, | | | | although the N.I.H conducted five major studies |
| coconut oil and the omega 3 oils such as fish, flax | | | | and spent several hundred million dollars trying to |
| and borage oil are essential for heart health. They | | | | show a connection. |