Radley Balko thinks fat people should sue the government, not McDonalds:
For the past quarter century, the U.S. government has issued dietary recommendations that, if followed, were supposed to keep us all looking svelte and sexy - a nation of Halle Berries and George Cloonies. You've probably seen these recommendations. They form what the USDA calls its "food pyramid." The pyramid essentially recommends a low-fat, high-starch diet. It suggests 6-11 servings of "grains, cereals, rice and pasta" per day, and less than one serving of "fats and oils" - or less than three per week.
The problem is, that pyramid was built not on scientific evidence, but on the prejudices of politicians, the special interests of U.S. agriculture, and the egos of career scientists at the National Institute of Health.
In fact, not only is the food pyramid not built on sound scientific evidence, but sound scientific evidence increasingly suggests that the pyramid is a sham.
For twenty-five years, Americans have been told by their government that a low-fat diet would stave off obesity, lower cholesterol, and prevent heart disease. For twenty-five years, mounting scientific evidence has suggested otherwise. And for twenty-five years, the U.S. government has ignored that evidence, and Americans have gotten fatter.
Unfortunately, the government is probably immune from suit for this, but at least America ought to know where the real blame should lie. Our government shouldn't be in the business of giving nutritional advice anyway - even if it does especially when it's designed to promote certain special-interest farmers. One cool thing about the net is that it allows people to tell their success stories and get the truth out there.
Via Instapundit.
Posted by wasylik at August 21, 2002 06:09 PM