The latest news on federal advice on diet makes it clear that much of what we’ve been told to stay away from is wrong. For decades, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs) warned people to avoid fatty foods such as butter and cheese. Now research shows that recommendation was not based on sound scientific evidence and should never have been issued.

Dietary warnings on salt and cholesterol-laden foods such as eggs are other examples of the government creating policy based on outdated or flawed evidence. In a recent commentary, The Telegraph questions whether such ominous warnings from “experts” about a single nutrient do more harm than good.

“At various points in the past two decades, chocolate, red wine, eggs, oils, bread and starches have all been identified by the food police as either life enhancers or the harbingers of cardio-vascular doom. This erratic guidance is annoying but also dangerous,” the commentary states.

We agree. We believe the DGAs should be based on the best available science and provide recommendations that can be achievable for the majority of Americans.  We also believe that nutrition science should not be boiled down to “good” and “bad” foods. Maintaining a healthy weight comes down to balancing all of the calories we consume throughout the day with daily activity.

Singling out one ingredient as the cause of health woes has been proven wrong and will be again if we don’t look at the totality of scientific evidence when formulating advice for Americans to follow.