Writer Biography

Jadalyn Jensen is a motivated and determined freshman at Utah State University. She enjoys playing Ultimate Frisbee, Pickle ball, and Ping-Pong. Jadalyn plans on getting her General Associates Degree Spring of 2023 and then serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. 

This essay was composed in December 2022 and uses MLA documentation.

I RACE DOWN THE HALL, feeling invincible as my focus narrows on one thing and one thing only: the lunch line. I accidently bump into the nonchalant students, who could care less if they are the last to lunch, and they give me a nasty glare. I hastily jump in line and begin the tedious wait. After precious minutes of my lunchtime are used up, I get my food and sit down, only to realize that it’s just another day of a chicken sandwich, frozen strawberry cup, baked beans, broccoli, and chips. Day after day, school-children are offered meals like this. These meals are based on the MyPlate program and dietary guidelines the government recommends: a high-carb, low-fat diet. 

 For the years 2020-2025, there are four dietary guidelines that the government promotes. What Americans don’t realize is that the food that the government advises is based on false and discreditable evidence. These guidelines focus on four main goals. The first is following a healthy dietary pattern throughout every stage of life. The second is enjoying cultural foods and personal preferences. The third is being able to meet nutrient dense food group needs. The fourth is limiting foods and beverages higher in added sugars, saturated fat, sodium and alcoholic beverages (U.S. Department). The last guideline, specifically limiting saturated fats, is the guideline that is of most concern. This standard of diet has been implemented since the 1970s. What Americans don’t realize is that the food that the government advises is based on false and discreditable evidence.

Three-fourths of the MyPlate program that the government recommends is carbohydrates.  Carbs are known to cause spikes in blood sugar levels, the regular occurrence of which can lead to diabetes (The relationship between blood sugar level and GI). Not only do carbohydrates increase blood sugar levels, they also provide energy and can thus contribute to excess energy intake and subsequent weight gain” (van Dam et.al). Because carbs are an easily digestible form of energy, we use them up pretty quickly. An hour or two after consuming them, we become hungry again, and what do we do? We eat more carbs! We become trapped in a continuous cycle of eating, becoming hungry, and eating again. Because carbs are also high in calories, this cycle makes us fat.  

Several statistical reports have evidenced a flaw in America’s diets. Obesity rates have nearly tripled, beginning around the time the high-carb low-fat diet was implemented. “Results from the 2017–2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES),… indicate that an estimated 42.5% of U.S. adults aged 20 and over have obesity, including 9.0% with severe obesity, and another 31.1% are overweight”(Fryar). Trends for obesity started to rise  around the 1970s, at the same time guidelines for Americans started promoting a high carb and low fat diet. 

It all began with the sugar scandal of 1967. Life in the 1960s was a prime time for America. The fight for freedom and equality led to the Civil Rights act of 1964 being passed. The American astronaut-Neil Armstrong-became the first person to walk on the moon. New fashion and popular film and music gave birth to a new era. It seemed to be a carefree time for most Americans, except the Sugar Research Foundation, who started to fret when they got wind that sugar was being targeted as a cause for heart disease. In response, the Sugar Association “paid three Harvard scientists $6,500- the equivalent of about $58,000 in today’s dollars- to publish a 1967 review of research on sugar, fat and heart disease” (O’Connor). This derailing approach “minimized the link between sugar and heart health and cast aspersions on the role of saturated fat” (O’Connor). Americans started to change their diets to a low fat diet based on the “evidence” that saturated fat was causing heart disease.  One of the Harvard scientists who took part in this scandal, “went on to become the head of the United States Department of Agriculture, where in 1977 he helped draft the forerunner to the federal government’s dietary guidelines” (O’Connor). Not only was the blame pointed away from sugar and to saturated fats, the sugar industry had an inside man working in their favor. America instated a high carb low fat diet and thus began the start of the refined carbohydrates and added sugars vs lipids battle.  

If you’ve looked in detail at the food you consume daily, you’ll start to notice much of it is labeled with the words “low fat” or “fat free”. Meanwhile, the quantity of sugar in regular serving sizes has increased, and the quantity of additives has increased alongside it. Fat tastes good, and if food industries remove it, they need to replace it with other ingredients that give people pleasure: sugar and refined carbs (Isenhart, 35:18). Fat is being removed from the American diet despite it being a natural substance for us.  

Saturated fat is found in breast milk. Breast milk is generally composed of “87% water, 3.8% fat, 1.0% protein, and 7% lactose. The fat and lactose, respectively, provide 50% and 40% of the total energy of the milk” (Martin). In addition, fifty percent of fatty acids in breast milk are saturated fatty acids (German). We’re feeding our babies this milk. If you’ve looked in detail at the food you consume daily, you’ll start to notice much of it is labeled with the words “low fat” or “fat free”. We should not be removing it from our diets when it is such a fundamental part of our nature. “Fatty acids are required for membrane synthesis, modifications of proteins and carbohydrates, construction of various structural elements in cells and tissues, production of signaling compounds and for oxidative fuel” (German). Our bodies need fat to function.  

For years it was thought that saturated fat was causing heart disease. However, findings from many studies have contradicted this. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published a meta-analysis that viewed the relationship between saturated fat and heart disease. These studies took place in North America, Europe, Japan, and Israel and viewed a mix of men and women from the ages of 30-89. These participants had follow-ups that ranged from 6 to 23 years after the study began. The results indicated the following: “The conglomeration of data from 16 studies with CHD as an endpoint and 8 studies with stroke as the endpoint showed no association of dietary saturated fat on disease prevalence” (Siri-Tarino et.al). The causal relationship between saturated fat and heart disease has been proven to be fabricated by multiple studies. America’s call to lower saturated fats should be re-evaluated.  

The ketone diet has become popular among Americans. It is based on taking in high fats and low carbs. My intention in providing this diet as an example isn’t to promote it, but rather to point out the benefits that come with eating fat. Steak, lasagna, shrimp, eggs, zucchini, and salads are just a few examples of keto-friendly meals. While 80% of people are likely to recommend this diet after trying it, 94% experienced positive effects since starting the keto diet. These effects include “weight loss, blood sugar control and greater energy levels” (Schueller, G.). An experiment was done with three participants where they were placed on a keto-diet for one week. These participants then followed America’s high carb, low fat diet for a week. By the end of the keto-diet week, participants had lost between 2 ½ to 5 pounds of weight, their blood sugar levels stayed even the whole time, and they continued to feel full hours after eating (Isenhart 17:45). Feeling full after eating has to do with fat intake. Fats have more than twice the calories of proteins or carbs (Beckmann). Unlike carbs, fats store energy, enabling us to gradually expend energy without feeling hungry so frequently. Participants on the high carb low fat diet reported feeling more groggy, their blood sugar levels skyrocketed and then dropped, and they were constantly hungry (Isenhart 1:14:50). Fats are not the cause of health problems, despite what many Americans believe.  

If we are going to take away anything from this, it should be that fat isn’t the bad guy. Fat is natural for humans to consume, it’s a fulfilling substance that will put Americans hunger at ease, and evidence has shown that there is no correlation between saturated fats and heart disease. Everything we eat should be taken into the body in moderation. It’s all about portion control, diversifying our foods, and not relying so heavily on one food group. The American guideline of limiting saturated fats and having a high-carb low-fat diet should be re-examined. 

Works Cited

Beckmann, Tracy. “Which Is Healthier: Full Fat, Low Fat, or Fat Free?: Cascade Health.” Cascade Health | Cascade Health, 24 Oct. 2017, https://cascadehealth.org/healthiest-fat/.

Fryar, Cheryl D., et al. “Products – Health e Stats – Prevalence of Overweight, Obesity, and Extreme Obesity among Adults Aged 20 and over: United States, 1960–1962 through 2017–2018.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 8 Feb. 2021, https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hestat/obesity-adult-17-18/obesity-adult.htm.  

German, J Bruce, and Cora J Dillard. “Saturated fats: a perspective from lactation and milk composition.” Lipids vol. 45,10 (2010): 915-23. doi:10.1007/s11745-010-3445-9

Isenhart, Jennifer, director. Fat Fiction, 13 Mar. 2020, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11055922/fullcredits?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm. Accessed 21 Nov. 2022.  

Martin, Camilia R et al. “Review of Infant Feeding: Key Features of Breast Milk and Infant Formula.” Nutrients vol. 8,5 279. 11 May. 2016, doi:10.3390/nu8050279

O’connor, A. (2016, September 12). How the sugar industry shifted blame to fat. The New York Times. Retrieved November 11, 2022, from https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/13/well/eat/how-the-sugar-industry-shifted-blame-to-fat.html  

Schueller, G. (2020, August 6). We surveyed people on the Keto Diet. Here’s what they say. U.S. News. Retrieved November 11, 2022, from https://health.usnews.com/wellness/articles/we-surveyed-people-on-the-keto-diet-heres-what-they-say  

Siri-Tarino, Patty W et al. “Meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies evaluating the association of saturated fat with cardiovascular disease.” The American journal of clinical nutrition vol. 91,3 (2010): 535-46. doi:10.3945/ajcn.2009.27725

The relationship between blood sugar level and gi. Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (2017). Retrieved November 11, 2022, from https://www.otsuka.co.jp/en/health-and-illness/glycemic-index/glucose-level/   

U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025. 9th Edition. December 2020. Available at DietaryGuidelines.gov  

van Dam, R M, and J C Seidell. “Carbohydrate intake and obesity.” European journal of clinical nutrition vol. 61 Suppl 1 (2007): S75-99. doi:10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602939