For decades, Americans have organized their diet in a way to minimize their intake of saturated fats like butter and red meat. Vegetable oils and carbohydrates became a bigger part of our diet, because, we were repeatedly told, animal fats led to heart disease.
Today, however, we are learning that this advice was bogus. A recent landmark health study has concluded that there has never been a link between saturated fats and heart disease. The “settled science” on nutrition wasn’t quite so settled.
Writing in Saturday’s Wall Street Journal, nutrition researcher Nina Teicholz unpacks a new comprehensive study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine which found that “saturated fat does not cause heart disease.” This theory, and decades of government-sponsored nutritional advice can be traced back to one scientist at the University of Minnesota, Dr. Ancel Keyes. His crusade against animal fats began in the 1950s and has misled the public about a proper diet ever since.
Ms. Teicholz observes:
The fact is, there has never been solid evidence for the idea that [saturated] fats cause disease. We only believe this to be the case because nutrition policy has been derailed over the past half-century by a mixture of personal ambition, bad science, politics and bias.
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How many Americans can still afford to eat beef?
Eat lots of peppers…..and then you can eat anything you want. Peppers are magic – make everything work perfectly.
I remember mc Donald’s fries in high school. 15 cents, fried in beef tallow. they were they best in the world. that was until the nannies in Washington decided they were bad for you, sooooo we don’t think you should have them. remember there is no more powerful narcotic in the world than to have control over other people.
@ steppenwolf
Fries have never tasted that good since then. I agree with you.
When corn fed beef became the “beef of choice,” people lost.
I go out of my way to buy beef raised by grazing. Wonder which politicians and crony mega farms washed each others hands for that one.
Also, the high carb diet of grains put weight on me that I’m still loosing on the Atkins diet.
Plain Jane- Dr.Atkins was right all along.
@super toe: I follow the Atkins diet and have for several years now. It works for me–so I think I’ll fire up the barbecue and have a steak tonight with some steamed asparagus. I like my steak medium rare. 🙂
@Goldenfoxx
but some olive oil and salt and pepper on your asparagus then put them on the grill untell the base of the stems are just slightly soft, and the tips are just a bit black and crispy.
@ Super toe – and it’s the best thing for Type 2s. Total control and really need stop taking the lowest dose of metformin. The doc is ambivalent about that, but I’m going to quit once pool season sets in.
@ Goldenfoxx & Mohammed’s pink swastika – You guys are making me hungry. Will tide me over till dinner with some BBQ pork skins.
Ha! Knew it all along. Like almost everything else these days, it’s a, man is smarter than God thing. Or, God made fats versus man made fats (and ConAgra). I recall reading, several years ago, that the primary reason that margarine, i.e., corn oil, became such a hit was because of the strong Ag lobby. Thankfully, my mom was a bit of a hippy and never bought into that bunk.
Additionally, a significant portion of the brain is cholesterol. There is a theory, (which I have not personally researched/verified), that the increase in dementia is directly related to the consumption of, A- Statin drugs; and, B- Low fat/unsaturated fat diets.
So Woody Allen was right all along.
Dr. Atkins was pushed.
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/health/2003-04-17-atkins-dies_x.htm
My Best Guy has a co-worker who greatly lowered his weight, blood pressure, and bad cholesterol by following a Paleo diet. I’m quite tempted to follow in his footsteps, but seriously doubt that I can afford the food due to Obeyme’s War On The American Economy.
Nine years ago I learned about good fats/bad fats. Good carbs/bad carbs. Good calories/bad calories.
As a result, we have lost a collective 125 lbs.
Figure out how our bodies are designed to work and take it from there.
a great book on this subject is “Good Calories, Bad Calories” by Gary Taubes.
I want that hamburger.
This is by no means news, since it has been known for more than a decade, but it is heartening (no pun intended) to see yet another study debunking the fat-cholesterol-heart-disease myth and associated junk science.
@ FeFem
I actually keep the cost down by eating about 18 eggs a week. Love them, especially after starving for so many years on egg whites.
@ Plain Jane – My childhood was rife with the daily consumption of massive amounts of animal protein. Breakfasts consisted of an egg shake and dinners included vast quantities of roast beast.
@ FeFem
I love your “roast beast” comment. LOL
We didn’t have a lot of meat because of money. I remember how my mom was able to get at least 3 meals out of one chicken for four of us. Pasta started taking it’s toll on me in grade school. My long walk to H.S. helped me slim down.
Later, as a young mom I started listening to the “educated” nutritionists, and reading their b.s. After all, I wanted my brood to be healthy. I so totally regret ever looking at their stupid, ever changing food pyramid. Also, at that time, enter artificial sweeteners. Glad I’m still alive.
Not a health nut. I am a lean muscle nut. Eat like your cave man ancestors. Live hard, die young, leave a good looking corpse. Not army corpse man ya understand.
@ Plain Jane – My Mom used to buy a gigantic (usually 15-20 lbs) beef roast for Sunday night dinner. Despite our vehement protests, she always cooked it well done and then sliced and diced it into vats of gravy for several subsequent meals.
@ FeFem
That sounds good, all except for the well done part.
About 18 years ago I learned I had Type 2. I went on a low carb, low fat diet and was off meds in 3 months. Of course I walked 2 miles per day come rain, sleet or 90 degrees. I maintained the low carb, low fat for years, but then the pounds started creeping back.
I thought “screw” the egg whites only and picked up the Atkins book. One of his statements (paraphrased): Don’t try to do low carb and low fat. Alleluia! Real, heavy cream in my coffee, whole eggs with real mayo if I want deviled eggs, steak, bacon, etc. The only thing I miss is the lovely potato. However, I love homemade baked potato skins and DH doesn’t like the skin – a marriage made in heaven.
@ Bad,
“corpse man” – LOL
I think I lived too hard, I’ve already gone too far to leave a good looking corpse. Although after all the compliments at my 50th class reunion I started thinking that I should attribute my preservation to the formaldehyde in my cigarettes,
Lady’s there exists an exercise that will change your metabolism. That exercise is Free Weight Squats. It’s not fun, it hurts, it’ll make you sick. But you’ll get skinny and have an ass your man can bounce quarters off of. Seriously for us older people it hurts like no other. But I’m telling you the truth. It might be the fountain of youth.
@Mikey, thanks. I am going to buy that book.
@ Bad
Not sure if I want men throwing quarters at my a$$. (smile) If you know what I mean.
But I’m gonna look it up to see if I can do those squats.
Thanks Bad.
@ Mikey
Thanks also. That book got 4 1/2 stars with 567 reviewers. Gonna buy it also.
Plain Jane, If you belong to gym, go find the biggest scariest mofo with huge quads you can find, and ask him to help you to learn proper technique for squats. You’ll find he’s the nicest guy in the gym you’ve met, and will help you until you get it nailed. That’s no crap.
@ Bad
Although it sounds like more fun to do it as you suggested, and I’d probably appreciate the scenery more, I just realized when I read it, that my 45 year old daughter who looks better than most 20 year olds, does exactly that.
She works out with weights every other day at her gym. I can get down to stay with her for a week or so and try her gym. She knows my capabilities.
I talked to a personal trainer at my local gym who, because I’m over 65, wants a doctor’s release before he’d take me on. Bull! I can belong to the gym without a release, so if I know what I’m doing, then I’m good to do.
Plain Jane, “I’m over 65, wants a doctor’s release before he’d take me on”
Screw that crap. Go find a pumper in the gym to point you in the right direction. Better yet get your daughter to help you. Start slow. The only person your competing against is you. I’m 57 and most think I’m in my late 30’s, early forties.
@ Bad Brad
Yep, that’s what I’m going to do. I looked over a video on line, and until I can get down to my daughter’s, I just might do what the video showed with real light weights.
“I’m 57 and most think I’m in my late 30′s, early forties.” That’s great. Until I reached my early 50’s, people thought I was my daughter’s older sister. I’m a sun worshiper from childhood on and the wrinkles set in pretty much in the past ten years – along with the arthritis. 🙂
Oh well! I just want to keep functional now.
The only thing missing from that burger is the bacon.
Here’s another book that is great – Body for Life.
My nephew, who has done competitive weight lifting, gave it to me when I complained about my sagging body parts. He told me to just use the exercises that don’t need gym equipment. I use only hand weights and ankle weights every other day and a treadmill the other days. Nothing sags now, and I eat what I want. I’m in my 70’s but still vain enough to want to look good.
Satan / Lucifer (Liberals / socialists / progressives) flipped the food Pyramid upside down long ago. They live like kings on the tip and make everybody else load up on carbs and bread. So typical of elitists.
KFC just ain’t the treat it used to be…