Time to welcome fat back onto your plate
Fat is on its way back. The new view is that fats are better for us than previously thought.
Over the years, the public health campaign against saturated fat has gradually generalised to include all dietary fat.
Now that is being wound back and hopefully so is the trend of replacing low-fat diets with those high in refined carbohydrates and sugar.
New dietary guidelines for 2015 are tipped to reverse nearly four decades of nutrition policy on the consumption of fat. iStock
Every five years, the US Department of Agriculture and Department of Health and Human Services jointly release Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
The new guidelines for 2015 are tipped to reverse nearly four decades of nutrition policy regarding the consumption of fat.
Scientists who advise them have recommended removing restrictions on total fat consumption, according to commentary in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
They say reducing total fat does not lower cardiovascular disease risk and recommend that dietary advice emphasise optimising types of fat.
They note that the evidence for the health benefits of low-fat–high-carbohydrate diets for the general public is just not there.
Years of inaccurate messages about total fat have driven Americans to try to avoid fat while eating far too many refined carbohydrates.
Evidence supports a move away from total fat reduction towards healthy food choices, including those higher in healthful fats.
Australia is moving in the direction of these recommendations too.
Source: Australian Financial Review, Jill Margo, July 13th 2015
