Why Are We Being Misled? | by Brian Johnson Fact is, we scientifically know what to do to prevent heart disease—which begs the question: Why aren’t things different?! Here’s what Dr. E tells us: “To begin with, it is true that people have a craving for oil, dairy, and animal fat, and that includes the medical scientists who study the problem. We are immersed in an environment of toxic food that is attractive, tasteful, reasonably priced, and heavily advertised. And there are powerful commercial interests that want no change in the American diet. Over the years, there have been a number of attempts to bring nutritional recommendations more into line with what the science actually shows. In every case, intensive lobbying by industry—the producers and purveyors of dairy products, meat, and poultry—has caused those who set the standards to pull their punches.” ~ Caldwell B. Esselstyn, M.D. from Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease We could spend this whole Note on the politics of food and why the recommendations we receive from the US government are so far out of whack with what we KNOW is healthy. In short, we get our food pyramid and other dietary recommendations from the USDA. The problem with that is the fact that the USDA is run by former members of the meat and dairy industry. And, as Dr. E tells us: “In my opinion, the Department of Agriculture, which by definition is supposed to protect and promote the nation’s agricultural interests, should disqualify itself from responsibility for setting nutrition standards. That duty belongs more properly to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But so far, the USDA still holds the power to advise Americans on what they should be eating, and every five years, when it updates its advice, its guidelines end up misleading the public and betraying science. As long ago as 1991, for example, proposed changes in the food pyramid would have relegated meat and dairy foods to lesser importance. But by the time the lobbying was finished, the USDA agreed on misleading compromises for the new proposals that still emphasized consumption of animal protein.” Check out the book for all the ways the USDA has consistently ignored science to benefit the meat and dairy industries. For now, know that the info and recommendations we get from the USDA are *extremely* biased and, unfortunately, it’s not a wise idea to follow the USDA’s standards if we are committed to creating optimal health!!
Posted on: Tue, 20 Aug 2013 18:56:14 +0000