Ladies and Gentlemen, U-turns are not just the monopoly of political parties; world nutrition bodies are the unchallenged kings of U-turns. The current U-turn on saturated fat and heart risk is something that I welcome with open heart, mind and arms or, shall I say, with an open mouth?
It was sometime in 1970s that saturated fat was declared enemy number one. Poor ghee took the beating, but it knew that it has the backing of thousands of years of wisdom. It continued staying on earth, in the hearts of our grandparents, and in the kitchens of our homes. ‘No more ghee for you now,’ said the cardiologist while you dipped your transfat-full biscuit in chai to celebrate being out of the ICU.
Guess what, almost 40 years after being demonised, saturated fat is all set to regain its lost glory. Sweden was the first developed country to say in 2013 that there was no need to go low-fat or fat-free. Fat doesn’t pose a risk to the heart; on the other hand, no fat made it difficult for the intestines to absorb fat-soluble vitamins like A, D, E and K. Vitamin D deficiency is the latest epidemic and its low levels are proven to not just reduce bone density but also risk heart disease. The US is all set to join Sweden by reviewing their nutritional guidelines along the same lines—it’s not saturated fat but packaged food that’s the problem.
Ah! You really needed research to say that? So bring back the yolk in your egg white omelette, eat that fresh red meat that your father brings in a cloth bag every Sunday, make those tadkas in ghee and remember to not let nutrition bodies tell you what to eat. They just never seem to make up their mind!
