Anyway, it's starting to be seen everywhere: the low-fat fad is ending.  The most recent nail in the coffin is an article in the New England Journal of Medicine detailing a carefully controlled study which found that when comparing a lowfat, Mediterranean, & low-carb diet, the low-fat was the big loser.  Or not, actually - the low-fat folks lost the *least* weight.  The folks eating the fewest grains & sugars, on the other hand, dropped 20% off their cholesterol ratio.

The problem is, w/o fat, you feel you're starving, and worst of all, you are eating far more carbohydrates, typically the sugars & refined grains which cause heart disease, high triglycerides, obesity, diabetes, & even Alzheimer's & nearsightedness. 

How did we get here?  First there were the famous Ancel Keyes studies.  He reported that of 7 countries, those with the highest saturated fat consumption had the highest rate of heart disease.  Trouble is, he studied 22 countries, and threw out the ones which disproved his theory. 

Then, over the next half-century, most studies which purported to study cholesterol & disease actually lumped natural sat fats in with disease-causing unnatural ones, or, as in these two more recent studies, with "processed meats, processed grains, snack foods, & sugared drinks."  When this group turned up with more skin cancer in one study and more diabetes in the other, it was blamed on their "meat and fat" intake rather than the "processed meats, sweets and desserts, french fries, and refined grains" they were eating.

Once again, incompetent science & journalism are to blame.

I'm moving away from the fads.  Away from the nutrient chasing (counting carbs, fat, antioxidants, ...).  Toward the tried & true. 

80 years ago, a doctor traveled the world studying primitive peoples and found that no matter what they ate, from Sweden to Africa, from fish/nuts/berries to milk/meat/blood, they were all healthy - no heart disease, diabetes, cavities, obesity, tuberculosis (the killer of the day), or depression - as long as they ate nothing processed.  No processed grains (like dry cereal & refined grains), processed oils (corn, soy, canola, safflower), or processed meats, veggies, or milk.  As soon as those began to be introduced, their health began to deteriorate.  The more they ate of it, the worse it got, even when nothing else (such as work or living habits) changed.

I'm gonna eat Real Food.  That's all.

(It is rather unfortunate that the anti-sat-fat bias persuaded these researchers in the NEJM article to insist on encouraging "low-carb" participants to choose "vegetarian sources of fat and protein."  It would be most educational if they follow this up with a study comparing the AHA recommended diet, which is even more lowfat than this one, with a Real Food diet - one that allows plenty of grassfed meat & dairy, but no processed anything.)

ETA 8/06/08: Today's Washington Post on real food ...