October 8, 2004

WAPF Comments on the Report of the
2005 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee

In late September, Sally Fallon testified before the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee on the Report of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2005 to the Secretaries of Health and Human Services and Agriculture.

While the Foundation agrees with the overall recommendation of the Committee stressing improved access to nutrient-rich foods, Sally pointed to flaws regarding saturated fats, animal fats and cholesterol. In addition, the Committee recommended that children be fed nonfat and low-fat milk. Sally stressed that children require the nutrients found in butterfat and whole milk.

The full Committee Report can be found at http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2005/report/, while Sally's oral testimony is located at http://www.westonaprice.org/federalupdate/DietaryGuidelinesTestimony-Fallon.pdf.

In addition, the Foundation submitted an extensive set of written comments on the Committee's Report. A summary of our findings are:

The Foundation recommends guidelines that encourage the inclusion the following four food groups in the daily diet:

• Animal foods: meat, poultry, fish, eggs and whole milk products
• Grains and legumes: whole grain baked goods and breakfast porridges, beans
• Fruits and Vegetables: preferably fresh or frozen
• Beneficial Fats and Oils: unrefined saturated and monounsaturated fats including butter and other animal fats, palm oil and coconut oil, olive oil and peanut oil

The emphasis of the guidelines should be on food quality, not on contrived macronutrient ratios.

The Guidelines should include warnings to avoid refined foods such as sugar, high fructose corn syrup, white flour, industrially processed vegetable oils, trans fats and artificial flavorings.

The Food Pyramid concept should be scrapped.

The Foundation recommends that the 2005 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee discontinue its unscientific opposition to animal fats.

The Report lists a number of incorrect statements about saturated fatty acids and sources of stearic acid.

Children especially require enough of the stable saturated fats; they need enough of the monounsaturated fats or oils; and they need an adequate amount and a proper balance of the essential fatty acids, which come primarily from the omega-3 and omega-6 oils.

Foods should be chosen so that they supply a mixture of beneficial fats and oils. No one fat or oil can properly suit all purposes, although many of the good quality animal fats come close.

The only good source of fat-soluble vitamins in the American diet is butterfat.

Babies and children need cholesterol-rich foods, such as butter and butterfat, throughout their growing years to ensure proper development of the brain and nervous system. Children should not be limited to nonfat or low-fat milks.

There are a number of nutritional differences between the meat of pasture-raised and feedlot-raised animals: meat from grass-fed cattle, sheep, and bison is lower in total fat.

Commercial, refined vegetable oils should be limited in their consumption.

Cholesterol is not the cause of heart disease but rather a potent antioxidant weapon against free radicals in the blood, and a repair substance that helps heal arterial damage, although the arterial plaques themselves contain very little cholesterol.

"Added sugars" should be returned to its prominent place in the Committee's findings, not buried under "Choose Carbohydrates Wisely for Good Health;" as the consumption of sugar has increased in the United States, so have all the "civilized" diseases.

Our written comments can be found at http://www.westonaprice.org/federalupdate/comments_dietaryguidelinesrep.pdf.

This page was posted on 10/08/04