Myth

Dietary Guidelines Are Making Us Fat and Sick

A common theme in many internet posts is how the dietary guidelines are outdated, and are making people fat or sick. Common criticisms include that the guidelines . . .

“caused the obesity and/or type 2 diabetes epidemic,”
“are not based on scientific evidence,”
“recommend carbohydrates/grains and they are the cause of obesity,”
“recommend a low-fat diet, and this made people fat,”
“made people replace fat with carbs, and they got fat.”
What’s lacking in these anti-guideline statements is good science.

A critical piece that is ignored in these claims is that most people weren’t following dietary guidelines. Read More >>

Gluten/Wheat/Grains are Bad for You

Slice of bread with Gluten text – Gluten Free diet concept

The gluten-free trend is a popular one, and many people have hopped on the bandwagon thinking it might improve their health, digestion, and athletic performance. People with celiac disease (about 1% of the population) need to absolutely avoid gluten because it damages their intestines; others believe they are “gluten sensitive,” which is a debatable condition that recent studies have called into question. Read More >>

More Reading:

• • Healthy or Hype? Gluten-Free Diets (Sheila Kealey)
  • Gluten sensitivity: new epidemic or new myth? (Nash DT, Slutzky AR.  Baylor University. Medical Center; 2014;27(4):377-378.)
  • Athletes avoiding gluten or grains – is there good evidence? (Sheila Kealey)
  • Hidden risks of going gluten free for health (Consumer Reports)
  • Experts Question Benefits of Gluten-Free for All but a Small Minority (Wall Street Journal)
  • Eat More Gluten: The Diet Fad Must Die (Jeffrey Kluger, Time Magazine)
  • Gluten elimination diets: Facts for patients on this food fad (Kathleen Cadenhead, MD, Margo Sweeny, MD, BC Medical Journal)
  • Dissecting the Myth: Why Grains and Gluten Aren’t Bad for You

“Natural” Sweeteners are Healthier Than Sugar

The health impact of consuming too much sugar is big news, and many people are looking for alternatives. What about so-called “natural” sweeteners? Food marketers want you to think they are healthier, and labels boasting terms like “naturally sweetened” or “honey-sweetened” are a common fixture.

This line of thinking has made its way into cookbooks, recipe blogs, and many home kitchens. One of my cake recipes wasn’t “healthy,” a reader commented, because it used sugar instead of a more “natural” sweetener like honey.

Despite marketing claims and labels that suggest otherwise, “natural” sweeteners are not better for you than refined sugar. Most people would be better off consuming less sugar from all sources, “natural” and refined.  Use “natural” sweeteners because you like their flavour or they work well in your cooking/baking.  But they are not better for you  nor will they improve your health.  Treat them as you would sugar and consume judiciously.  Read more >>

Saturated Fat is Good For You

Years of research have associated saturated fat with heart disease, some cancers, and diabetes.  But recent studies suggest that some types of saturated fats, such as “medium chain triglycerides” (MCTs) may not be as harmful to the heart as once thought. However, the evidence isn’t solid, and MCT’s influence on heart disease remains unclear.  Most of the research in question deals with saturated fat and heart health, and not the links between saturated fat and other chronic diseases (e.g., diabetes and cancer). Interpretation of the research can be challenging, as it’s impossible to look at saturated fat (or other nutrients) in isolation:  a diet that is low in saturated fat can be quite unhealthy if it contains too many refined starches and sugars.  We need more research, and keep in mind that just because something is not as bad as once thought, doesn’t mean it’s beneficial, especially in copious amounts.

Also, the most health protective diets (according to years of research) include vegetarian diets, the DASH diet,  and the Mediterranean diet, which are all low in saturated fat.

More Reading:

• Research Review: Behind the News saying “Saturated Fat could be Good for You” (Katherine @NutritionWonk and Kevin @Nutrevolve)
• “Shaky Science” Doubts Saturated Fat Linked to Heart Disease
  Q&A with Professor Martijn Katan (CSPI)
• Saturated Fat Working Group: Cross-cutting Topics of Dietary Guidance and Public Health Importance (Dietary Guidelines 2015 Working Group)
• Butter vs Margarine: Evidence refuting butter-is-healthy claims. (Reijo Laatikainen)
• THE BIG FAT SURPRISE: A CRITICAL REVIEW Part 1; Part 2
• War of the Worlds: Butter vs Oil (Nutrevolve)
• Carbs, SFAs, and Circulating Fatty Acids (Nutrevolve)
• Dietary fat and heart disease study is seriously misleading (Harvard Nutrition Source)
• Saturated Fat: Friend or Foe? (Fooducate.com)