A disturbing turn of events took place on my birthday, January 14, 1977. It is one of many examples of the government attempting to influence Americans' decisions with guidance based on opinion and politics rather than scientific evidence.



I’m referring to the publication of the first version of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Like the subjects of gun control, social justice, or mass vaccinations, the government’s influence on our dietary choices is based more heavily on opinions and money than real scientific evidence.



After 20 years in health and fitness, I can’t help associating my birthday with George McGovern’s “gift” to Americans: the Dietary Goals for the United States.





The Dietary Goals of 1977



I’ve been less surprised by the government’s misuse of the term “science” than many, as I’ve seen them misuse the term for the past 20 years I’ve been a health and fitness professional.



George McGovern did just that when he pushed through his committee’s report on January 14, 1977.



The report outlined the goals as follows:




Increase carbohydrate consumption to account for 55 to 60 percent of the energy (caloric) intake.



Reduce overall fat consumption from approximately 40 to 30 percent energy intake.



Reduce saturated fat consumption to account for about 10 percent of total energy intake; and balance that with poly-unsaturated and mono-unsaturated fats, which should account for about 10 percent of energy intake.



Reduce cholesterol consumption to about 300 mg. a day.



Reduce sugar consumption by about 40 percent to account for about 15 percent of total energy intake.



Reduce salt consumption by about 50 to 85 percent to approximately 3 grams a day.




Also, the report outlined guidelines for food selection and preparation:




Increase consumption of fruits and vegetables and whole grains.



Decrease consumption of meat and increase consumption of poultry and fish.



Decrease consumption of foods high in fat and partially substitute polyunsaturated fat for saturated fat.



Substitute non-fat milk for whole milk.



Decrease consumption of butterfat, eggs and other high cholesterol foods.



Decrease consumption of sugar and foods high in sugar content.



Decrease consumption of salt and foods high in salt content.




These dietary goals and guidelines formed the basis of the Dietary Guidelines For Americans, the Food Pyramid, and, more recently, My Plate.



Imagine you’re a manufacturer of processed foods. This is like hitting the jackpot! A government-recommended nutrition strategy that minimizes protein (which is expensive and difficult to preserve) and maximizes consumption of carbohydrate-rich foods, which are inexpensive and easy to make in a variety of forms and flavors.



The Politics of Nutritional Science



Over the past 44 years, we’ve continually been told to eat less fat and cholesterol and more carbohydrate-rich foods.



Yet, the evidence for all of these recommendations stems from observational data, or population-based data. Any college freshman could tell you that observational research can never show cause and effect.



Yet, the media and politicians continually use such research to push forward their agendas. They’ve done it with COVID-19, inequality, social justice, gun control, vaccines, education, and more.



The focus on fat began with an observation that in some countries, people eat more saturated fat and have more heart disease, while in some other countries, they eat less fat and suffer less heart disease.



By choosing the right countries to build his case, Ancel Keys from the University of Minnesota showed a correlation between higher saturated fat intakes and heart disease. Keys made his case by cherry-picking the data and publishing his Seven Countries Study.



Gary Taubes, in his book Good Calories, Bad Calories, shredded this pseudo-science. If you want to read nutrition science, I can’t recommend this book enough. As a matter of fact,