Every now and then, we turn our attention to food, which is especially timely as losing weight is a popular resolution on people’s lists  new year’s list. And Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr (RFKJ) just inverted one of the holiest of holies: the Food Pyramid.

“The new guidelines website states that every American should eat 1.2-1.6 grams of animal and/or plant protein per kilogram of body weight per day, along with “healthy fats” from whole foods such as eggs, seafood, meat, full-fat dairy, nuts, seeds, olives and avocados,” The Defender reports.

“The guidelines …will become the default for what’s served to schoolchildren, the military, veterans, the elderly and low-income families that participate in federal programs like WIC and Head Start.”

Which will no doubt make a sizeable dent in Big Food’s bottom line.

“…The new guidelines emphasize eating “real” food, defined as minimally processed foods “prepared with few ingredients and without added sugars, industrial oils, artificial flavors, or preservatives.”

Real foods? What a concept, and why would anyone even consider ingesting industrial oils?

Time for a deeper dive

“The American Medical Association approved, while the American Heart Association raised concerns that the guidelines could lead to overconsumption of sodium, protein, and saturated fats,” notes Morning Brew. “We are concerned that recommendations regarding salt seasoning and red meat consumption could inadvertently lead consumers to exceed recommended limits for sodium and saturated fats, which are primary drivers of cardiovascular disease,” (said the AHA, which continues) to advocate for low-fat and fat-free dairy for maintaining heart health,” WWPL points out.

US dietary/food guidelines have long been driven by corporate interests and as for the AHA’s concerns? As Heart&Soil reminds us, “For tens of thousands of years, animal fats such as butter, tallow, and lard were primary sources of dietary fat in human diets, which allowed them to thrive. Ancient societies relied on these fats’ essential nutrients like fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K) and omega-3 fatty acids, crucial for various bodily functions, including brain development, immune function, and hormone regulation. During this period, rates of modern health issues like obesity and diabetes were virtually non-existent,” so one does have to wonder if some of those concerns are literally sickening.

There are studies on both sides covering the good and the bad of the various seed oils. The AHA claims they promote heart health et al, and all well and good, and if colon cancer isn’t a concern, go for it!

Before industrial oils were used in processed foods, they were used as machine lubricants and lamp oil (cottonseed oil in particular)…”Its availability and effectiveness in machinery lubrication contributed to its widespread adoption across various industries, from textiles to transportation,” says  Heart&Soil, and thanks to Proctor & Gamble, food, like Crisco, which was far cheaper than butter or premium non-seed oils.

Then there’s this: The Salt and High Blood Pressure Myth: A Scientific Look. “Low-salt recommendations trace back to the mid-20th century and the work of physician Lewis Dahl. In the 1960s, Dahl published research showing a direct relationship between the average salt intake of different populations and their prevalence of hypertension. His studies compared groups with very different dietary habits, such as American men consuming 10 grams of salt per day and northern Japanese farmers who consumed over 26 grams and had high rates of stroke and hypertension….Despite acknowledging that not everyone who consumed excess salt developed high blood pressure, Dahl’s population-level findings captured the attention of public health bodies…and formed the basis of a broad, one-size-fits-all public health policy. This led to the widespread belief that reducing sodium was a universal strategy for managing hypertension.”

As for low-fat being healthier, in many countries around the world, low fat dairy products are fed to farm animals…to fatten them up for market.

Enter John D. Rockefeller

Given all of this, it does make one wonder about the science – and the conclusions – unless one factors in that the AHA has long been heavily funded by the Rockefeller Foundation, founded long ago by oil baron John D. Rockefeller.

“In the early 1900s, half of U.S. doctors practiced holistic medicine—using knowledge from Native Americans, herbalists, and European traditions. But Rockefeller, America’s first billionaire, saw a huge problem: you can’t patent natural cures. Around the same time, scientists discovered petrochemicals—chemicals derived from oil that could be used to make synthetic drugs. Rockefeller saw an opportunity: monopolize medicine just like he monopolized oil. Profit was the only goal,” says Revealed Eye.

“Modern medicine as we know it wasn’t shaped by doctors alone—it was engineered by John D. Rockefeller. In the early 20th century, Rockefeller and his oil empire helped transform medicine into a pharmaceutical industry, sidelining natural remedies and alternative medicine in favor of synthetic, patented drugs (How The Rockerfeller Foundation Destroyed Homeopathy).  Was this a revolution in healthcare or a calculated power move?  Did Rockefeller create Big Pharma for profit, not public health,” writes MSN.

“For decades, Americans have grown sicker while healthcare costs have soared. The reason is clear: the hard truth is that our government has been lying to us to protect corporate profit-taking, telling us that these food-like substances were beneficial to public health” said RFKJ “…The earlier nutrition model “wrongly discouraged” healthy fats and protein…“We are ending the war on saturated fats,” Kennedy said.

And what does this have to do with tech? With users increasingly deferring to AIs for medical advice and self-diagnosis, what information is the AI ingesting, courtesy of Big Tech and can it be trusted?  Google didn’t exactly distinguish itself when it came to mental health issue (Google, AI firm settle lawsuit over teen’s suicide linked to Chatbot).

While RFKJ is not a doctor, thanks to his flipping the food chart, Americans can once again sit down to a meal and open their mouths and say ”Ahhh!” Onward and forward.