Dr. Mark Hyman explains how the US government's dietary guidelines, from the food pyramid to MyPlate, pushed low-fat recommendations that worsened obesity and chronic disease. He argues the guidelines were flawed from the start and offers what he sees as better nutritional advice centered on whole foods and healthy fats.
Hey everyone, this is Dr. Mark Hyman.
Welcome to my weekly house call, your chance to ask me your questions, and this week's question comes from Facebook. A reader said, Dr. Hyman, I grew up following the guidelines of the food pyramid. And now that I'm having kids, I want to know, are these guidelines outdated? And what about this new MyPlate guidelines? Are they any better? Well, the simple answer is these guidelines are outdated. Let me give you a little background on the food pyramid. In the 1970s, when it became evident that the rates of obesity and heart disease were increasing, well, certain well-meaning politicians held hearings on diet and health to determine how to advise Americans on the best diet for health and preventing heart disease. Mark Hegsted, a professor of nutrition at Harvard, led a group of scientists that in 1977, under the auspices of Senator George McGovern's Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs, issued the first Dietary Goals for the United States. The guidelines are updated roughly every five years by the federal government and they've cemented the low fat philosophy as the country's official diet. Now, Heksted's findings are based on flawed research and vague, subsequently discredited studies, and they help form the basis of the recommendations that are listed in the dietary goals. The report called for Americans to increase their carb intake to 55 to 60% of their daily calories. Americans were told they could protect themselves against cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and other chronic diseases by eating more fruits and vegetables, agree with that, poultry, fish, whole grains, okay, and cutting back on the saturated fat in meat, eggs, butter, and whole fat milk. They were told to eat low fat foods like skim milk and to replace saturated fat and animal products with polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats from vegetable oils. We were told to eat less fat and more carbs. This low-fat craze led to the government's food pyramid which came out in 1992. Now at the base of the pyramid were carbs, and we were told to eat 6 to 11 servings of bread, rice, cereal, and pasta, and at the tippy top of the pyramid were fats and oils which we were told to use only sparingly. The food industry jumped on board with this low-fat craze and they created everything from low-fat salad dressing to fat-free yogurt to low-fat desserts. And like good citizens, we listened to what our government advised. And now the average American consumes 152 pounds of sugar and 146 pounds of flour every year. The problem with the food pyramid is that we now know from the research that it is these sugars and carbs that are the true cause of obesity and heart disease, not the fats, as we were told. You see, carbs turn on the metabolic switch, causing a spike in the hormone insulin, which causes fat storage, especially dangerous belly fat. And sugar and carbs are the main cause of abnormal cholesterol and are the culprits behind type 2 diabetes, many cancers, and even dementia. Carbs were firmly situated at the bottom of the pyramid and Americans were told to eat a lot of them. And some foods, like healthy fats, which are really good for you, were placed at the tippy top and we were warned to eat them sparingly. Suddenly, pasta was a health food and fat was demonized. This is the worst possible advice. We listened, and the result is the worst epidemic of obesity and type 2 diabetes and heart disease in the history of our species. And it was the largest uncontrolled experiment ever done on humans, and it failed. MyPlate, which is our government's new educational food icon, replaced the food pyramid in 2010, and it was a slight improvement, but they still advised a low-fat diet. They included dairy, which has little scientific support. The food industry has influenced governmental recommendations and dietary guidelines across the globe. In other words, unfortunately, science is for sale, and many of the recommendations being made by scientists and the government comes from big food companies that pay big bucks. But fortunately, we have a growing community of highly aware and investigative folks such as yourselves. The word is spreading and the food pyramid is now gone forever. Instead, you want to eat mostly whole, real foods. Mostly veggies, some fruits, and plenty of healthy fats like eggs and coconut oil, olive oil, and maybe a little grass-fed butter if you want. And as for the stuff they put at the bottom of the pyramid, Well, those processed sugars and refined carbs should be treated like recreational drugs and taken only occasionally. Now check out the blog attached to this week's video for my very own food pyramid. And be sure to look out for my new book, Eat Fat, Get Thin. In this book, I give you the full story on the food pyramid and how we came to demonize fat, and I also provide you with the tools you need to stay happy and healthy for life while eating delicious and satisfying foods. So if you like this video, share it with your friends and family on Facebook and Twitter and be sure to submit your questions to DrHyman.com so that next week I may make a house call to you.
