{"id":13234,"date":"2021-12-05T23:37:51","date_gmt":"2021-12-05T23:37:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ovadiahearthealth.com\/old-site\/?p=13234"},"modified":"2022-03-11T06:42:02","modified_gmt":"2022-03-11T06:42:02","slug":"how-the-ahas-2021-dietary-guidelines-continue-to-fail-us","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ovadiahearthealth.com\/old-site\/2021\/12\/05\/how-the-ahas-2021-dietary-guidelines-continue-to-fail-us\/","title":{"rendered":"How the AHA\u2019s 2021 dietary guidelines continue to fail us"},"content":{"rendered":"

In my time as a heart surgeon I have seen that the most common cause of heart disease in my patients is diet<\/a>.<\/p>\n

And it troubles me to think that I was almost in the same situation. Despite following the official guidelines for a \u2018healthy balanced diet,\u2019 my weight was increasing and my health deteriorating, and I’m not the only victim of the misguided food pyramid<\/a> – 88% of people are metabolically unhealthy.<\/p>\n

Despite these long-established guidelines for how to eat a heart healthy diet, the CDC still reports that heart disease is the leading cause of death in the US<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It is clear that the way we are eating is not as healthy as we have been led to believe.<\/p>\n

The AHA\u2019s guidelines for 2021<\/h2>\n

The American Heart Association has recently released its updated dietary guidelines<\/a> for 2021, and, given the failures of previous dietary advice<\/a>, I was keen to see if the updates are a step in the right direction to a healthier America and help you make sense of what\u2019s optimal for fueling your body.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s take a look at the AHA guidelines for 2021 together:<\/p>\n

1. \u2018Adjust energy intake and expenditure to achieve and maintain a healthy body weight\u2019
\nMaintaining a healthy weight is important for heart disease prevention. But there is a big difference between being healthy and being thin<\/a> and it is outdated advice like this that causes many of the misconceptions around weight. I expect we all know someone who is so desperate to reach \u2018a healthy weight\u2019 that they begin to starve themselves, follow a \u2018detox\u2019 or other fad diet.<\/p>\n

A healthy diet is not just about calories in = calories out<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s say someone only eats a few slices of pizza a day and burns the calories off at the gym. Even if they lose weight, it doesn\u2019t change the fact that they are only eating pizza! This is not a heart healthy diet, nor are they getting adequate nutrition.<\/p>\n

So while I do agree with the need to maintain a healthy body weight, this guideline fosters the misconception that weight itself is the end goal. Considering we know it\u2019s possible for people to eat junk food but remain slim, the message needs to be clearer that what\u2019s important is maintaining a healthy weight as a result of correct food choices. Reaching a healthy weight is a byproduct of making the correct choices regarding food and lifestyle.<\/p>\n

2. \u2018Eat plenty of fruit and vegetables, choose a wide variety\u2019
\nThis one was a predictable inclusion in the guidelines, and it\u2019s not a bad recommendation. However, the issue with this guideline is that eating fruits and vegetables is not a magic fix that will make you healthier if other choices are unhealthy.<\/p>\n

What I mean is, eating vegetables won\u2019t outweigh everything else you eat. Eating a bag of Doritos and an apple is no healthier than just eating a bag of Doritos, because the chips are full of bad fats and chemicals and the apple won\u2019t undo that<\/a>. Likewise, the person in the previous section who only ate pizza would gain some nutritional benefit from adding broccoli to their plate, but it wouldn\u2019t be sufficient. They\u2019d still be consuming harmful foods and be lacking adequate protein.<\/p>\n

So the only merit of fruits and vegetables as a dietary strategy is what they\u2019re replacing in your diet. If, for example, you ate the apple instead of the Doritos then that\u2019s a healthy decision with genuine benefits.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also important to keep fruit and vegetables in the proper context. They can be included as part of a heart healthy diet, but as the only macronutrient they can contain is fibrous carbohydrates, they should not form the foundation.<\/p>\n

3. \u2018Choose food made mostly with whole grains rather than refined grains\u2019
\nThis advice seems to be serving the interests of no one but the food industry.<\/p>\n

The one good aspect of this advice is that the less refined the grain, the healthier it is. So if you\u2019re eliminating refined grains and replacing them with unrefined grains, that\u2019s a positive step.<\/p>\n

But the failing food pyramid has long recommended a diet built around whole grain products, and all you have to do to see the results of this advice is look around at the ever-rising figures of chronic illnesses<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Eating whole grains and unprocessed carbohydrates can be part of a heart healthy diet, but I still would not recommend them as a major part of a diet, particularly for people who are not metabolically healthy. In other words, eat them in moderation as part of an overall healthy diet, rather than expecting the grains to be the healthy aspect.<\/p>\n

4. \u2018Choose healthy sources of protein\u2019
\nThe American Heart Association recommends four sources of protein, which are:<\/p>\n