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ized the idea that overweight and obese people substitutions were not as good as the "real thing" and for a reason. For
are different from “normal”—establishing, as example, in Southern U.S. cooking, salt pork cuts the bitter taste of greens
part of national dietary policy, the notion that and fatback provides a vehicle for flavor as well as for fat-soluble vitamins.
they are less likely to accurately or honestly re- Greens made with little or no fat may actually be less nutritious; certainly
port on their own eating habits. The 2010 DGA they are if people don't eat them.
indicate that, on the basis of national survey data,
Americans do not seem to be consuming exces- FAILURE TO FULFILL
sive amounts of calories. Thus the inexplicably THE ORIGINAL MANDATE
high rates of obesity in America must be due to The first DGA, created in 1980 without a specific legislative mandate,
the fact that people who are overweight or obese began as a very simple twenty-page, one-column booklet directed at con-
lie about how much they eat: “[T]he numbers are sumers. However, it became apparent in the decade following the release
difficult to interpret because survey respondents, of the first DGA that obesity rates in America had increased, despite the
especially individuals who are overweight or fact that Americans were making alterations to their diets in line with their
obese, often underreport dietary intake.” recommendations. 55,56 In light of these circumstances, the DGA needed not
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This moralistic approach to obesity and only to explain the noted discrepancies between behavior and outcome,
weight loss has contributed to extensive and but should attempt to prevent further negative changes in the health of
unrecognized "collateral damage" in the form of Americans. In 1990, Congress passed a law indicating that DGA should
fat-shaming, eating disorders, weight discrimina- be reviewed and reissued every five years, emphasizing that: “Each such
tion, and poor health from restrictive food habits. report shall contain nutritional and dietary information and guidelines
At the same time, researchers at the Centers for for the general public,. . . and shall be based on the preponderance of the
Disease Control have shown that overweight scientific and medical knowledge which is current at the time the report
and obese people are often as healthy as their is prepared [emphasis mine]."
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"normal" weight counterparts. However, the DGA have never been able to overcome their original
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Finally, the emphasis on plant-based nutri- shaky scientific foundations. They have grown in size, right along with
tion and the demonization of animal-based foods the waistlines of Americans, but have failed to improve health outcomes.
is a culturally biased perspective. Although the Over the years, the seven recommendations from the 1980 DGA became
2010 DGA claim that the recommendations they twenty-three complicated instructions to micromanage food components
contain “accommodate the varied food prefer- in the 2010 DGA. As a result, the DGA are considered too complex for
ences, cultural traditions and customs of the consumers to use and are instead meant for policymakers and healthcare
many and diverse groups who live in the United professionals, who “translate” the DGA for consumers.
States,” this is most certainly not the case. Both the lack of science and the lack of simplicity that current DGA
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Animal products containing saturated fat are an exhibit are violations of their legislative mandate. At the same time, the
important part of many food cultures: sausages DGA have become a powerful and influential document that goes far be-
of Eastern European and Chinese cuisine; ghee, yond providing information to consumers. These recommendations shape
the clarified butter of Indian cuisine; chorizo all government dietary guidance, dictate nationwide nutrition standards,
and eggs from Latin America; liver patés eaten influence agricultural policies and nutrition research protocols, direct how
by Jewish Americans; greens and fatback of food manufacturers target consumer demand, guide healthcare practices,
Southern and soul food traditions. and affect how the American public thinks about diet, weight, and health.
As a dietitian, I was taught to respect the They can be considered the most influential health-related pronouncements
preferences of those who choose vegetarian or in the world.
vegan diets. However, when it comes to animal
products, dietitians, in accordance with the DGA, EXPANDING INFLUENCE
are encouraged to engage in "pork-shaming," The 2015 DGAC has made sustainability and environmental concerns
counseling people on how to eliminate, limit, part of its agenda, indicating that one of their goals is to “develop dietary
or modify traditional foods in order to avoid guidance that supports human health and the health of the planet.” There
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saturated fat and cholesterol. As a dietitian, I is no mistaking the fact that protecting the environment and ensuring
found that people who were told to give up their a sustainable food supply are important issues. In fact, they are far too
traditional dishes, or to change them in ways important to be entrusted to a committee of nutrition scientists with little
that reduced saturated fat and cholesterol, were knowledge or expertise in the vast and complex interactions that make
very likely to give up those dishes altogether; up the American agriculture and food production system. The American
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