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
Its great to hear that another mainstream source is coming to the light about saturated fats and overall nutritional advice.
Excited to buy that book by Weston Price:) Heard lots of good stuff about!
Read it online for free here: http://goo.gl/Jz3s6
Thanks for the great post. 10 years ago I found saturated fats and have only grown healthier – and skinnier.
You rock.
Victoria LaFont, NTP
I’m with you Victoria. I look better in a bathing suit now in my late 40’s after 3 kids than I did in my 20’s before I had any kids. No TV talking head “expert” is getting me off Traditional Diet!!! Bring on the butter!
Right on Victoria! It makes me giggle when I hear that fat is supposed to make me fat. I eat 300 calories a day just from coconut oil alone, not to mention all the butter I slather on everything, and I’m 5’3″ and 112 lbs. I’m 28 and haven’t noticed any of the spread that starts happening when you get closer to 30 yet.
Yeah, want to get rid of the cellulite? EAT BUTTER. I had cellulite at age 19 and was as thin as a rail. I don’t have any now. No pills, potions or special massages. Just BUTTER.
I watch Dr. Oz because although he’s mainstream, he does do alternative cures and treatments for many ailments, plus warning signs of many serious ailments. Anyway, I actually heard him advise that when eating steak or burgers, make sure they’re grass fed. I almost fell off the sofa…LOL I still don’t like that he advocates eating soy, but who knows, miracles do happen. He may change his mind about the soy as well one of these days.
The research in his post that you reference is worth reading, even though I knew it already. It’s great to hear someone mainstream say, “One found that consumption of low-fat dairy foods contributed to infertility caused by failure to ovulate, while consumption of full-fat dairy foods may help the problem. ” I’m blaming full-fat dairy on why I keep getting surprise babies! lol
Dr Weill loves his soy and tofu. For that alone I pay very little attention to what he says. There are some aspects of what he does I like but for the most part the soy makes me look the other way. I believe he is pro vacs also which makes me question him. He is on the right path and means well but still to commercial and swayed by conventional med.
Jennifer…I don’t like the soy or the way he promotes vaccinations either. I also don’t like when he brings on a “expert” on skin care or some other category and all they do is promote a certain brand. It’s like watching an infomercial. He made me want to throw my shoe at the TV when he advised getting the flu shot and on one show, he actually got one from a pharmacist at Walgreens. Big promo for Walgreens!!
I tolerate watching him for the reasons I listed below, because some of it is worthwhile. I just take a bathroom break or snack break when the bullshit comes..LOL
ooops Jennifer, in my reply to you I was talking about Dr. Oz. I just realized you were talking about Dr. Weil. Sorry about that.
I too was turned off by the heavy use of soy and tofu by Weil. He also doesn’t eat red meat, I believe, and very little animal flesh at all; maybe some fish once in a while. As for the vacs, yes he is pro. My NP said probably because he needs to stay main stream or he won’t get on shows like Larry King and Dr. Oz! But if he’s come around on sat fat….there’s hope for him yet!
The problem is that mainstream folks will overlook the flip flopping because Oz and Weil use the words “new research” and their audience will buy it hook line and sinker. WAPF and Mercola have been aware of this for decades.
Great article! Glad you wrote this, hopefully people will start taking their health into their own hands instead of listening to the “experts”. As you say, this is not new information.
finally!
“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!”- Mine too, Sarah!