Dietary guidelines FLAWED from the start

I’ve written before about the corruption of the food pyramid… and any iteration of dietary guidelines.

Because let’s face it—how can the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) be unbiased when it comes to dietary and nutritional advice? (That wouldn’t be in the best interest of Big ‘Farma’!)

I mean, there’s a reason we eat the same foods and most restaurants offer similar menus. It all comes from giant industrial farms that are subsidized to grow five basic food crops: corn, wheat, sugar, rice, and soy.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge fan of independent and small farmers.

But I’ve had enough of the conflicts of interest (COI) between the BIG players sitting on the advisory committee for U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA).

And apparently, I’m not alone…

Big Pharma makes… dietary guidelines?

In 2017, the National Academies of Sciences recommended public disclosures of any COI behind new dietary recommendations. However, this has YET to take place.

So, a new study set out to see just how biased some of these policy makers are.

Ultimately, the analysis found that a whopping 95 percent of committee members had a COI with food and/or pharmaceutical industries. (These are the members overseeing the science for the most influential dietary guidelines in our country!)

Worse yet, some of the biggest brands behind popular “food” items on grocery store shelves had members on the advisory board… simply outrageous!

How can we expect to trust any of the DGA?

Of course, this at least helps explain why such recommendations are so off-base… and fly in the face of science.

Enjoy the season’s bounty

As a general rule of thumb, this is what I always suggest when it comes to nutrition…

Aim to eat MORE fresh foods—and limit (or AVOID) packaged, processed foods.

And when it comes to specific dietary advice, like eating “five servings of fruits and veggies” a day… simplify it a bit more.

Enjoy a few hearty servings of fresh, seasonal veggies that cover the rainbow. (Red peppers, leafy greens, yellow squash, and more.)

This is why I routinely visit my local farmer’s market, so I can grab the freshest seasonal produce. And I purchase grass-fed and -finished, organic meat from local farm stands or grocers.

Then, I cook at home… experimenting with different combinations of flavors and enjoying all the season’s bounty has to offer. It doesn’t get simpler (or more unbiased) than that.

Until next time,
Dr. Fred

P.S. Check out some of my cooking videos on YouTube and Instagram!

Source:

“Conflicts of interest for members of the U.S. 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee.” Public Health Nutr. 03/21/2022. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35311630/)