MIL OSI – Source: Heart Foundation – Press Release/Statement
Headline: Butter is definitely not back
The Time article starts by talking about the ‘low-fat era’. They make the assertion that in the United States, people listened to the low-fat message in the 1980s and cut their fat intakes, while at the same time putting on more weight. What the data actually says is that fat intakes remained the same, but more refined carbs were piled on top (eg. sugar and white flour products). So percentage-wise there were less calories (energy) from fat because more calories were consumed overall – actual fat intakes remained the same.
This scenario is not what anyone would recommend to improve eating habits. The type and amount of carbohydrate-containing foods we eat is important, as is the type and amount of fat-containing foods. So increasing intake of both calories (energy) and refined carbohydrate foods was not a positive change.
While the article states that fat continues to be villified, this is an outdated concept. Nutrition advice has changed over time to focus more on the type of fats being eaten. Current advice is to choose healthy sources of fats like nuts, seeds, plant oils, avocado and oily fish. There is a wealth of data supporting the link between these sources of fats and good health. As an example, the USDA has just released a very robust and comprehensive review of dietary patterns that concluded:
There is strong and consistent evidence that in healthy adults increased adherence to dietary patterns [higher in] fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, legumes, unsaturated oils, low-fat dairy, poultry, and fish … is associated with decreased risk of … cardiovascular diseases…
All the blame for our weight problems then gets placed squarely onto refined carbohydrates like sugar and white flour. Undoubtedly, they contribute and many people would benefit from reducing their consumption. Healthy eating guidelines continue to recommend choosing whole grain foods in place of refined and highly-processed grains.
However, the most important point here is that we have to stop looking for one magic fix. Let’s not jump to focusing solely on refined carbs (or sugar), or we risk repeating the same mistake the article is complaining about. Yes, reducing intake of sugar and refined carbohydrate foods is important, but we can’t ignore all the other foods we eat over a day. It is the type and pattern of all the foods we eat that is most important.
So, what are those food patterns that we should be aiming for? The food patterns associated with good health focus on:
- eating plenty of colourful vegetables and fruit
- choosing wholegrain and high fibre varieties of breads, cereals and grains instead of refined grains
- eating some legumes, and choosing unprocessed meats and chicken with the fat removed
- choosing reduced-fat forms of dairy foods
- eating some nuts, seeds, plant oils, avocado and oily fish
This pattern is visually summarised in our visual food guide, which you can find here.
You will note from this food pattern that we agree with the comments from experts in the article that replacing saturated fats (found in higher amounts in animal products) with unsaturated fats (in higher amounts in plant foods and oily fish) improves cholesterol levels, as well as reducing risk of heart disease; and that while we can be a little more flexible about total fat intakes, saturated fat has not been exonerated. Butter is the biggest source of saturated fat in Kiwi diets, and with no data to say that eating it is linked with good health, it is definitely not recommended that people go back to eating butter.
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