WAPF action alert on proposed USDA dietary guidelines

[Guest guest]

This alert just in from WAPF on new USDA draft dietary guidelines - more

low-fat than ever - for those who are interested in knowing about it and

possibly taking action.

USDA has issued draft Dietary Guidelines for 2010. Rather than correct

its anti-saturated fat and anti-cholesterol position, which has led to

an epidemic of disease in this country, the new Guidelines are worse

than ever, with more stringent restriction of saturated fat (7 percent

of total calories, down from 10 percent) and cholesterol consumption of

less than 300 mg per day (less than 200 mg for those with risk factors

for heart disease or diabetes--one egg contains about 245 mg

cholesterol), and reduction of salt intake from 2.3 grams to 1.5 grams

(about one-fourth teaspoon).

The guidelines sweep the dangers of trans fat under the rug by lumping

them with saturated fats, using the term " solid fats " for both, promote

an increase in difficult-to-digest whole grains, and recommend lean

meats and lowfat dairy products. Cheese is specifically singled out for

avoidance because of its high " solid fat " content. Since, as the

Committee admits, no one follows earlier versions of the Guidelines, it

is recommending a focus on " actions needed to successfully implement "

key recommendations, in other words on how to force people to eat in

this highly deficient and grossly unsatisfying way.

ACTIONS TO TAKE

1. Please take time during this week to post a comment at the USDA

website. Go to www.dietaryguidelines.gov

<http://www.dietaryguidelines.gov/> and scroll down to " SUBMIT Written

Comments. " It is particularly important to describe any adverse health

effects you or family members have suffered by following earlier

versions of the Guidelines. You may also want to use any of the talking

points listed below.

2. Please also EMAIL your comments to your Senators and Representative

in Congress. Let them know that USDA's formulation of dietary

guidelines is a complete waste of taxpayer money and has resulted in a

health crisis of epidemic proportions, especially in our children. It

would be good also to PHONE your elected officials as well. For

congressional contact information, go to www.house.gov

<http://www.house.gov/> and www.senate.gov <http://www.senate.gov/> .

3. If you live near Washington, DC, consider attending the public

hearings at USDA on July 8. You can sign up to give an oral

presentation (as I will do) or simply attend to show support. To sign

up for attending the meeting, go to www.dietaryguidelines.gov

<http://www.dietaryguidelines.gov/> and scroll down to " Meeting

Registration/Oral Testimony. "

4. Please send out the Press Release below to your local newspaper and

radio shows. You may add your own contact information to that of our

publicist Hartke. In addition, you may add a paragraph to the

press release about how the USDA dietary guidelines adversely affected

your own health and that of your family.

5.Please broadcast this action alert to other groups. Let's create a

tidal wave of outrage!

TALKING POINTS

1. The proposed 2010 Dietary Guidelines perpetuate the mistakes of

previous guidelines in demonizing saturated fats and animal foods rich

in saturated fatty acids such as egg yolks, butter, whole milk, cheese,

fatty meats like bacon and animal fats for cooking. The current obesity

epidemic emerged as vegetable oils and refined carbohydrates replaced

these healthy, nutrient-dense traditional fats. Animal fats supply many

essential nutrients that are difficult to obtain from other sources.

2. When a healthy food like cheese is singled out as a food to be

avoided, there must be something wrong with the premises on which the

guidelines are based.

3. Basic biochemistry shows that the human body has a very high

requirement for saturated fats in all cell membranes; if we do not eat

saturated fats, the body will simply make them from carbohydrates. But

excess carbohydrate increases blood levels of triglyceride and small,

dense LDL, and compromises blood vessel function. Moreover,

high-carbohydrate diets do not satisfy the appetite as well as diets

rich in traditional fats, leading to higher caloric intakes and often to

bingeing and splurging on empty foods, resulting in rapid weight gain

and chronic disease.

4. The proposed guidelines will perpetuate existing nutrient

deficiencies present in all American population groups, including

deficiencies in vitamins A and D found in animal fats, vitamins B12 and

B6 found in animal foods, as well as minerals like calcium and

phosphorus, which require vitamins A and D for assimilation. Moreover,

low intakes of vitamin K2, are associated with increased risk of heart

disease and cancer. The main sources of vitamin K2 available to

Americans are egg yolks and full-fat cheese.

5. By restricting healthy animal fats in school lunches and diets for

pregnant women and growing children, the Guidelines will perpetuate the

tragic epidemic of learning and behavior disorders. The nutrients found

most abundantly in animal fats and organ meats-including choline,

cholesterol and arachidonic acid-are critical for the development of the

brain and the function of receptors that modulate thinking and behavior.

Studies show that choline helps the brain make critical connections and

protects against neurotoxins; animal studies suggest that if choline is

abundant during developmental years, the individual is protected for

life from developmental decline.

6. The National Academy of Sciences recommends 375 mg of choline per day

for children nine through thirteen years of age, 450 mg for pregnant

women and 550 mg for lactating women and men aged fourteen and older.

These amounts are provided by four or five egg yolks per day-but that

would entail consuming 800-1000 mg cholesterol, a crime by USDA

standards. The committee referred to this as the " choline problem. "

Pregnant women and growing children especially need to eat as many egg

yolks as possible-yet the Guidelines demonize this nutrient-dense food.

7. The Guidelines lump trans fats together with saturated fats-calling

them Solid Fats-thereby hiding the difference between unhealthy

industrial trans fats and healthy traditional saturated fats. Trans

fats contribute to inflammation, depress the immune system, interfere

with hormone production, and set up pathological conditions leading to

cancer and heart disease, whereas saturated fats fight inflammation,

support the immune system, support hormone production and protect

against cancer and heart disease.

8. The vitamins and fatty acids carried uniquely in saturated animal

fats are critical to reproduction. The 2010 Guidelines will increase

infertility in this country, already at tragically high rates.

9. The Guidelines are not based on science but are designed to promote

the products of commodity agriculture and-through the back

door-encourage the consumption of processed foods.

10. The Guidelines promote the consumption of whole grains, which can

contribute to digestive disorders unless properly prepared.

11. The Guidelines completely avoid mentioning blood sugar problems

caused by a diet high in carbohydrates and low in fat; the diet is

particularly dangerous for those suffering from diabetes or

hypoglycemia, since fats help regulate blood sugar levels. Many people

have difficulty concentrating or can even suffer from seizures on a diet

too low in fat.

12. The Guidelines urge salt restriction, which will lead to an

increased use of artificial flavors like MSG in processed foods.

13. The Guidelines should be scrapped and the committee members should

be replaced with individuals who have no ties to the food processing

industry or to universities that accept funding from the food processing

industry.

PRESS RELEASE

PROPOSED 2010 USDA DIETARY GUIDELINES --A RECIPE FOR CHRONIC DISEASE

Weston A. Price Foundation Proposes a Return to Four Basic Groups of

Nutrient-Dense Foods

WASHINGTON, DC, June 21, 2010: The proposed 2010 USDA Dietary Guidelines

are a recipe for infertility, learning problems in children and

increased chronic disease in all age groups according to Sally Fallon

Morell, president of the Weston A. Price Foundation.

" The proposed 2010 Dietary Guidelines perpetuate the mistakes of

previous guidelines in demonizing saturated fats and animal foods rich

in saturated fatty acids such as egg yolks, butter, whole milk, cheese,

fatty meats like bacon and animal fats for cooking. The current obesity

epidemic emerged as vegetable oils and refined carbohydrates replaced

these healthy, nutrient-dense traditional fats. Animal fats supply many

essential nutrients that are difficult to obtain from other sources, "

explains Fallon Morell.

" The revised Guidelines recommend even more stringent reductions in

animal fats and cholesterol than previous versions, " says Fallon Morell,

" and are tantamount to rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. While

the ship of state sinks under the weight of a crippling health care

burden, the Committee members are giving us more of the same disastrous

advice. These are unscientific and grossly deficient dietary

recommendations. "

The Weston A. Price Foundation is a non-profit nutrition education

foundation with no ties to the government or food processing industries.

Named for Dr. Weston A. Price, whose pioneering research discovered the

vital importance of animal fats in human diets, the Foundation has

warned against the dangers of lowfat and plant-based diets.

" Basic biochemistry shows that the human body has a very high

requirement for saturated fats in all cell membranes; if we do not eat

saturated fats, the body will simply make them from carbohydrates, but

excess carbohydrate increases blood levels of triglyceride and small,

dense LDL, and compromises blood vessel function, " says Fallon Morell.

" Moreover, high-carbohydrate diets do not satisfy the appetite as well

as diets rich in traditional fats, leading to higher caloric intakes and

often to bingeing and splurging on empty foods, resulting in rapid

weight gain and chronic disease. "

The proposed guidelines will perpetuate existing nutrient deficiencies

present in all American population groups, including deficiencies in

vitamins A and D found in animal fats, vitamins B12 and B6 found in

animal foods, as well as minerals like calcium and phosphorus, which

require vitamins A and D for assimilation. Moreover, low intakes of

vitamin K2, are associated with increased risk of heart disease and

cancer. The main sources of vitamin K2 available to Americans are egg

yolks and full-fat cheese. Incredibly, the Guidelines single out cheese

as an unhealthy food!

Fallon Morell notes that by restricting healthy animal fats in school

lunches and diets for pregnant women and growing children, the

Guidelines will accelerate the tragic epidemic of learning and behavior

disorders. The nutrients found most abundantly in animal fats and organ

meats-including choline, cholesterol and arachidonic acid-are critical

for the development of the brain and the function of receptors that

modulate thinking and behavior. Studies show that choline helps the

brain make critical connections and protects against neurotoxins; animal

studies suggest that if choline is abundant during developmental years,

the individual is protected for life from developmental decline. The

National Academy of Sciences recommends 375 mg per day for children nine

through thirteen years of age, 450 mg for pregnant women and 550 mg for

lactating women and men aged fourteen and older. These amounts are

provided by four or five egg yolks per day-but that would entail

consuming 800-1000 mg cholesterol, a crime by USDA standards. In their

deliberations, the committee referred to this as the " choline problem. "

Pregnant women and growing children especially need to eat as many egg

yolks as possible-yet the Guidelines demonize this nutrient-dense food.

The Guidelines lump trans fats together with saturated fats-calling them

Solid Fats-thereby hiding the difference between unhealthy industrial

trans fats and healthy traditional saturated fats. Trans fats

contribute to inflammation, depress the immune system, interfere with

hormone production, and set up pathological conditions leading to cancer

and heart disease, whereas saturated fats fight inflammation, support

the immune system, support hormone production and protect against cancer

and heart disease.

The vitamins and fatty acids carried uniquely in saturated animal fats

are critical to reproduction. The Weston A. Price Foundation warns that

the 2010 Guidelines will increase infertility in this country, already

at tragically high rates.

" The 2010 proposed Guidelines represent a national scandal, the triumph

of industry clout over good science and common sense, " says Fallon

Morell. " It must be emphasized that the Guidelines are not based on

science but are designed to promote the products of commodity

agriculture and-through the back door-encourage the consumption of

processed foods. For while the USDA food police pay lip service to

reducing our intake of refined sweeteners, trans fats, white flour and

salt, this puritanical low-fat prescription ultimately leads to cravings

for chips, sweets, sodas, breads, desserts and other empty

food-and-beverage-like products just loaded with refined sweeteners,

trans fats, white flour and salt. "

The Weston A. Price Foundation proposes alternative Healthy 4 Life

Dietary Guidelines, which harkens back to the traditional four basic

food groups, but with a renewed emphasis on quality through a return to

pasture-based feeding and organic, pesticide-free production methods:

Every day, eat high quality, whole foods to provide an abundance of

nutrients, chosen from each of the following four groups:

ANIMAL FOODS: meat and organ meats, poultry, and eggs from pastured

animals; fish and shellfish; whole raw cheese, milk and other dairy

products from pastured animals; and broth made from animal bones.

GRAINS, LEGUMES AND NUTS: whole-grain baked goods, breakfast porridges,

whole grain rice; beans and lentils; peanuts, cashews and nuts, properly

prepared to improve digestibility.

FRUITS AND VEGETABLES: preferably fresh or frozen, preferably locally

grown, either raw, cooked or in soups and stews, and also as

lacto-fermented condiments.

FATS AND OILS: unrefined saturated and monounsaturated fats including

butter, lard, tallow and other animal fats; palm oil and coconut oil;

olive oil; cod liver oil for vitamins A and D.

AVOID: foods containing refined sweeteners such as candies, sodas,

cookies, cakes, etc.; white flour products such as pasta and white

bread; processed foods; modern soy foods; polyunsaturated and partially

hydrogenated vegetable oils and fried foods.

* * * * * * * * *

The Weston A. Price Foundation is a 501C3 nutrition education foundation

with the mission of disseminating accurate, science-based information on

diet and health. Named after nutrition pioneer Weston A. Price, DDS,

author of Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, the Washington, DC-based

Foundation publishes a quarterly journal for its 13,000 members,

supports 450 local chapters worldwide and hosts a yearly International

conference. The Foundation headquarters phone number is (202) 363-4394,

www.westonaprice.org <http://www.westonaprice.org/> ,

info@... <mailto:info@...> .

CONTACT: Hartke, Publicist

Home office 703-860-2711 cell 703-675-5557

press@... <mailto:press@...>

Our postal address is

PMB #106-380

4200 Wisconsin Avenue, NW

Washington, District of Columbia 20016

United States