The world of dieting is always throwing curves balls our way, but this? This is something else altogether. New guidelines for United Kingdom citizens recommend that people people opt for foods that are high in saturated fat to live healthy and lose weight, so long as those foods are in their "natural form." Okay, so while those French fries fried in bacon grease probably aren't what they mean when they say "eat fat," it does mean like all the other stuff: bread, cheese (any dairy, really), and all the avocados you can fit in your face are free game. Bless this day.
The guidelines are based on a report from Public Health Collaboration, a "non-profit organisation focused on supporting research and investigating pressing health issues concerning the UK in order to help as many people as possible obtain and maintain a healthy lifestyle."
In a series of three documents that lay out guidelines for "healthy eating and weight loss" as well as "the real food lifestyle," Public Health Collaboration and the National Obesity Forum stated that the average adult in the UK consumes 383 calories below the current recommended intake, and that the existing recommendations are not based on "the most up to date scientific evidence."
Specifically, the recommendations states "eating fat does not make you fat" and that "saturated fat does not cause heart disease." The report encourages people to eat "whole foods" like fish, dairy, and avocados, and further states that dairy can protect the heart from diseases. Perhaps most pointedly, the report said, "eat fat to get slim. Don't fear fat; fat is your friend."
As the report acknowledges, this advice is contrary to standard medical advice. The UK-based National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and the National Health Service were called out in the report, but the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization, and the United Nations, all which recommend avoiding saturated fats. The report alleges that existing recommendations are conspiratorial between the medical and food industries.
The Public Health Collaboration did not immediately reply to Complex's request for comment.
