The Big Fat Surprise

The Big Fat Surprise

In the book The Big Fat Surprise the author, investigative journalist Nina Teicholz spent nine years of investigating the low-fat nutrition advice and concludes that butter, meat and cheese belong in a healthy diet. National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s Executive Director of Human Nutrition Research Dr. Shalene McNeill shares more about the book.
McNeill: “I think one of the things that she really focuses on in the book is not only the science of nutrition and saturated fats but also the personality, and the politics and committees and all that that came together that created so much momentum around recommendations to decrease the saturated fat intake in our diets. Maybe the hype was a little bit more than the science, I think is a big take away from her book. I do think what she is doing is provoking a really healthy discussion about science.” 
McNeill says beef producers need to think about even though saturated fat has a bigger negative health perception that isn’t the only one that we need to overcome.
McNeill: “So even if we erase saturated fats from the health equation for the public, we are still going to have challenges that we will have to overcome with regards to other health perceptions that exist about beef. So while it is really helpful, what I think we need to keep our eyes forced on is how do we help the public build healthier diets with beef. It isn’t just about saturated fats — how do we help them eat more fruits and vegetables with their beef. How do we help them get more physically active and show them how beef can help them feel strong and have the energy that they need to get a healthy lifestyle.”

 

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