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cholesterol to 200 mg—for reference, one large day for children nine through thirteen years of age, 450 mg for pregnant
egg contains about 245 mg cholesterol—based women and 550 mg for lactating women and men aged fourteen and
on the following tortured logic: restriction of older. These amounts are provided by four or five egg yolks per day—but
cholesterol and saturated fat has not caused heart that would entail consuming 800-1000 mg cholesterol, a crime by USDA
disease to decline, ergo, the current guidelines are standards. The committee referred to this as the “choline problem”—I kid
not restrictive enough. you not! Chicken liver and beef liver are also excellent sources of choline,
Actually, we are not being fair. Some of but to get enough of this brain nutrient from liver, you would “poison”
the committee members—mostly women mem- yourself by exceeding the maximum recommended allowance for vitamin
bers—have expressed concern during committee A. So while we watch in horror the blighting of our children’s lives with
meetings (available to the public via webinars) failure to thrive, learning disorders, attention deficit disorder, autism and
about widespread deficiencies in the American mental retardation, the committee is sticking to its anti-cholesterol guns.
diet, noting the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, K and Truly, we have sacrificed our children on the altar of Baal, and the USDA
E as “nutrients of concern.” But there is no way has wielded the knife.
for Americans to consume sufficient quantities of Putting the USDA in charge of the dietary guidelines is like letting the
these critical vitamins while confined to the low- devil teach Sunday school. A growing number of Americans now recognize
fat, low-saturated fat, low-cholesterol, low-calo- the devil’s food and have learned to avoid it. But millions of others have
rie cage of the USDA dietary guidelines. Further, no choice—those in hospitals, nursing homes, prisons and schools. Yes,
the committee admits that many Americans are the most serious repercussion of the USDA Dietary Guidelines is the fact
also deficient in calcium, magnesium, potassium that our children no longer get real food—not even whole milk—at the
iron, phosphorus, B , folate and choline. Their breakfasts and lunches served in schools. By two o’clock in the afternoon,
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solution is to eat more “nutrient-dense” fruits they are starving and head for the vending machines, where they can load
and vegetables. I’ve got news for the committee: up on junk food filled with refined sweeteners that weaken their bones and
fruits and vegetables are not nutrient-dense foods. make them fat, filled with additives that addle their brains, filled with the
If you don’t believe me, just check the data tables kinds of industrial fats that prevent the girls from later having a normal,
and compare the nutrients in plant foods with healthy pregnancy—or any pregnancy at all—and that hinder the boys from
those in eggs, whole milk, cheese, butter, meat normal sexual performance, in short, nothing but misery and suffering,
and organ meats. suffering and misery for the rest of their lives.
Research into the role of choline in human The solution? Rescind the mandate, withdraw the funding, disband
development casts a glimmer into the dark cor- the committee. Let your elected officials know that the USDA Dietary
ners of the current paradigm. Choline is critical Guidelines are destroying America. Then return to the kitchen and prepare
for good health and is especially necessary for real food—including your children’s lunches—using the products of grass-
growing children. If choline intake is too low based farms and artisan processors. Eat lots of butter, cook with lard, drink
during pregnancy and growth, brain connections whole raw milk, enjoy forbidden foods like paté, bacon and rich sauces.
cannot form. And if choline is abundant during Good food, nutrient-dense food, will keep you out of hospitals, nursing
developmental years, the individual is protected homes and prisons—will allow you to live longer and happier lives than
for life from developmental decline. The National the government “experts.” Short of arresting the committee for crimes
Academy of Sciences recommends 375 mg per against the state, it’s the only way to get your revenge. . . . because, after
all, the best revenge is living well.

REFERENCES AND CORRECTION ABOUT FLU VACCINES

Several astute readers have asked for references about statements on flu vaccines (Fall, 2009, page 15). The Cochrane
review of fifty-one studies published in 2006 can be found at http://mrw.interscience.wiley.com/cochrane/clsysrev/articles/
CD004879/pdf_fs.html. We erred in stating that the flu vaccines worked no better than a placebo for all 260,000 children.
The flu vaccines worked no better than a placebo only for children under the age of two. The 2008 report which found that
flu vaccines in young children made no difference in the number of flu-related doctor and hospital visits was published in
Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine (2008, 162, 943-51, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18838647). A more
recent study found that children who had received the flu vaccine had three times the risk of hospitalization compared to
children who had not received the vaccine (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090519172045.htm).

WINTER 2009 Wise Traditions 3