• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to after header navigation
  • Skip to site footer
The Healthy Home Economist

The Healthy Home Economist

embrace your right to a lifetime of health

Get Plus
  • Home
  • About
  • My Books
  • Shopping List
  • Archives
  • Log in
  • Get Plus
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Get Plus
  • Log in
  • Home
  • About
  • Subscribe
  • Archives
  • My Books
  • Shopping List
  • Recipes
  • Healthy Living
  • Natural Remedies
  • Green Living
  • Videos
  • Natural Remedies
  • Health
  • Green Living
  • Recipes
  • Videos
  • Subscribe
Healthy Home Economist / Archives / Healthy Living / Dr. Weil Changes His Deal

Dr. Weil Changes His Deal

by Sarah Pope / Affiliate Links ✔

Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
  • 21 Studies: Saturated Fat Does Not Cause Heart Disease
  • Why Are You Still Listening To Conventional Health Advice?
  • How to Eat Healthy For the Long Term

I like Dr. Weil.  I think he’s a nice guy and a thoughtful individual.  He is obviously a very intelligent person with many respectable accomplishments throughout his storied career.

But, have I ever listened to him for nutritional advice?

No way, no how, not ever.

Here’s why.

Just like other conventional sources of health information, the deal is always changing.  How can a person ever truly follow a healthy lifestyle if the dietary recommendations are in constant flux?

Case in point:  Dr. Weil recently announced on his website that he is no longer recommending low-fat dairy products.

For those of you who are still buying skim milk and lowfat yogurt based on his adamant advice for many years thinking this was going to help shrink that backside and save you from heart disease, this may come as quite a shock.

21 Studies: Saturated Fat Does Not Cause Heart Disease

Dr. Weil’s reasoning as to why his “thinking on saturated fat has evolved” is based on a thorough analysis of 21 studies which showed that saturated fat is not associated with an increased risk of heart disease.

These 21 studies in total included nearly 350,000 people the majority of whom were healthy at the start of each study.  These folks were followed for between 5 and 23 years and over this span of time, 11,000 developed heart disease or had a stroke.

Researchers examining the dietary intake for these thousands of participants found no difference in the risk of “coronary heart disease, stroke, or coronary vascular disease between those individuals with the lowest and highest intake of saturated fat.”

Here’s the kicker.

An apparently dumbfounded Dr. Weil writes that these findings go “completely against the conventional medical wisdom of the past 40 years. It now appears that many studies used to support the low-fat recommendation had serious flaws.”

Why Are You Still Listening To Conventional Health Advice?

My hat is off to Dr. Weil for coming to his senses, but the fact is that he should have recognized this crucial error long ago!

The clear cut data that saturated fat intake has absolutely zero to do with heart disease and other vascular ailments has been around for decades ever since Dr. Mary Enig, former Vice President of the Weston A. Price Foundation and currently Board Member Emeritus, blew the whistle on the scam ages ago and paid for her forthrightness and courage by having her research career blackballed.

What took you so long Andrew??  This is no minor “oops” on your part after all.

Dr. Weil’s 180 on saturated fat begs the obvious question.

What other nutritional errors are still being promoted by Dr. Weil and others like him from “respected and credible” outlets for health advice?

The answer is that there is a lot these TV talking heads promote that is way off the mark.

Having a medical or nutrition degree is no guarantee that the advice given is correct, not by a long shot.

How to Eat Healthy For the Long Term

Does Dr. Weil finally have it right about saturated fat?

Nope.

While his thinking on saturated fat has clearly “evolved” and he is now promoting full fat dairy, he is still off the reservation unfortunately.

For example, Dr. Weil still recommends skinless chicken and turkey and limiting saturated fat intake to 10% of daily calories in the diet.  On what basis is he recommending no more than 10% of calories from saturated fat?

There is no basis for this recommendation!  It is being pulled completely out of thin air!  There is not a single shred of evidence that this recommendation is wise.

How do you know how much saturated fat you should be eating then?

How about looking to the past for your wisdom instead of an ever changing tide of conventional health opinion?

Dead people don’t seek profits or try to influence your buying habits, do they?

Dead people also don’t lie.  You can simply examine what they did, see what the results were and objectively assess whether or not their methods were successful.

For these reasons, seeking the wisdom of Traditional Cultures who ate saturated fat with abandon and emphasized them in the diet is the simplest and best approach to health.

If you are tired of changing health advice and your head is spinning from the myriad approaches to eating that are promoted nowadays, I encourage you to take a look at the research of Dr. Weston A. Price, author of Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, a book that is virtually guaranteed to forever change the way you view health and wellness.

Dr. Price traveled the world in the early 1900’s and documented the vibrant health of 14 preindustrialized cultures.  What these cultures emphasized for health is very different from what Dr. Weil promotes, sincere though he is in his quest to determine what diet bestows optimal health.

If the concept of Traditional Diets is new to you, click here for a short video introduction.

Isn’t it high time to stop changing the way you eat every few months or years and follow the anthropological path to diet and health that has already been trodden by cultures who fully experienced the vitality you seek?

 

Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist

Source:  Rethinking Saturated Fat, Dr. Andrew Weil

Picture Credit

FacebookPinEmailPrint
Category: Healthy Living
Sarah Pope

Sarah Pope MGA has been a Health and Nutrition Educator since 2002. She is a summa cum laude graduate in Economics from Furman University and holds a Master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

She is the author of three books: the bestseller Get Your Fats Straight, Traditional Remedies for Modern Families, and Living Green in an Artificial World.

Her four eBooks Good Diet…Bad Diet, Real Food Fermentation, Ketonomics, and Ancestrally Inspired Dairy-Free Recipes are available for complimentary download via Healthy Home Plus.

Her mission is dedicated to helping families effectively incorporate the principles of ancestral diets within the modern household. She is a sought after lecturer around the world for conferences, summits, and podcasts.

Sarah was awarded Activist of the Year in 2010 at the International Wise Traditions Conference, subsequently serving on the Board of Directors of the nutrition nonprofit the Weston A. Price Foundation for seven years.

Her work has been covered by numerous independent and major media including USA Today, ABC, and NBC among many others.

You May Also Like

Carrageenan: Carcinogen Allowed in Organic Food?

Busting the Beta Carotene Vitamin A Myth

Busting the Beta Carotene Vitamin A Myth

classy creative homemade gift ideas

10+ Classy Homemade Gifts (you still have time to make before Christmas!)

Mass Produced Chickens

Matcha Making: Ensuring Your Green Tea Powder is Authentic (and safe)

Matcha Making: Ensuring Your Green Tea Powder is Authentic and Safe

bone broth msg

Bone Broth and MSG: What You Need to Know Now

Feeling Tired More Than You Should?

Get a free chapter of my book Get Your Fats Straight + my weekly newsletter and learn which fats to eat (and which to avoid) to reduce sugar cravings and improve energy significantly!

We send no more than one email per week. You will never be spammed or your email sold, ever.
Loading

Reader Interactions

Comments (99)

  1. Sam

    Apr 25, 2019 at 8:38 am

    OK, thanks for the info and recommendation.

    Reply
  2. Sam

    Apr 24, 2019 at 8:34 pm

    Hi Sarah,

    Of the fats we consume daily, do you know about what percentage should be saturated? I was looking in “Nourishing Traditions,” but can’t seem to find the answer. Maybe you discuss this on your Web site somewhere. Thanks for any info.

    Reply
    • Sarah Pope MGA

      Apr 24, 2019 at 10:38 pm

      It varies depending on your cultural heritage. Some traditional cultures consumed more saturated fats than others. I recommend that you read the book Nutrition and Physical Degeneration.

« Older Comments

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Sidebar

Mother Nature’s Medicine Cabinet

5 Secrets to a Strong Immune System

Loading

The Healthy Home Economist

Since 2002, Sarah has been a Health and Nutrition Educator dedicated to helping families effectively incorporate the principles of ancestral diets within the modern household. Read More

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Check Out My Books

Mother Nature’s Medicine Cabinet

5 Secrets to a Strong Immune System

Loading

Contact the Healthy Home Economist. The information on this website has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent, or cure any disease. By accessing or using this website, you agree to abide by the Terms of Service, Full Disclaimer, Privacy Policy, Affiliate Disclosure, and Comment Policy.

Copyright © 2009–2023 · The Healthy Home Economist · All Rights Reserved · Powered by BizBudding Inc.

Share this ArticleLike this article? Email it to a friend!

Email sent!