Atlantic Article - Why We Should Dump Dietary Guidelines

By Hank Cardello, author of Stuffed: An Insider's Look at Who's (Really) Making America Fat
June 21, 2010

"The 2010 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee just issued its findings and recommendations to encourage healthier eating. Containing no surprises, the Committee's suggestions included four major steps required to help Americans adopt better nutrition and physical activity behaviors, namely:

    • Reducing calorie intakes and increasing physical activity
    • Shifting to a more plant-based diet
    • Reducing the consumption of added sugars, solid fats, sodium,
    and refined grains, and
    • Meeting the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans.

First published in "pre-obesity" 1980, these reports are issued every five years to provide direction about how dietary intake can reduce risk for major chronic diseases. Since that time, obesity, a diet-related condition, has climbed to become our country's number-one health issue. Rates in this country have skyrocketed to the point where two-thirds of all American adults are now either overweight or obese. Hardly a successful track record...."

http://www.theatlantic.com/food/archive/2010/06/why-we-should-dump-dietary-guidelines/58383/