THE UNKIND FDA: PROTECTING US FROM HEALTH?

The FDA busted down the doors of KIND Snacks and went in for the big take down. This power play was chronicled here, here, here and here. They targeted KIND Bars as having too much "evil" saturated fat to be called "healthy." It's nice to see that the FDA is out patrolling grocery store aisles and trying to protect consumers from dietary delinquents. That is, it would be nice to see if they knew what you and I know: saturated fat is not so evil...

Fuzzy logic

KIND Bar ingredients are based on nutrient packed nuts, which do have saturated fat in them. However, if saturated fat is so unhealthy, then why has all of the major, valid and reliable research on this topic failedo show a correlation between this so called artery clogger and cardiovascular disease? I'm sure the FDA is fully aware of this but even so, they still think that they are protecting us by pushing the false message that a diet low in saturated fat helps to reduce the risk of heart disease. Despite the good intentions, low-fat diets flunk that testnd show no ability to reduce risk of cardiovascular disease. One more important note: it has been shown that countries that consume the highest rates of saturated fatsave the lowest rates of death by heart disease. 

RELATED: BURN FAT WITH FAT, NOT SUGAR

DON'T GET IT TWISTED - I HAVE ZERO RELATIONSHIP WITH THE KIND SNACKS COMPANY. I AM NOT TRYING TO PROMOTE KIND BARS HERE.

My point is not to suggest you should be eating a diet strictly consisting of eggs, butter, bacon and almonds. Nor am I proposing that Kind Bars are the latest superfood (although they are far from the worst "nutrition bar" on the shelves.) I am, however, suggesting that we acknowledge that the phobia of saturated fat is unwarranted.  The evidence on saturated fat confirms that an honest and balanced approach to including it in your diet is healthy. This includes responsibly enjoying HEALTHY saturated fats in a real food format.  

My message to the FDA

I would much prefer that the full-court press is applied to the companies and products that are busting at the seams with inflammatory oils and refined sugars. These are the real unkind, unhealthy felons in our food!

RELATED: Why The FDA Action Against KIND Bars Doesn't Mean They're Unhealthy

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Tim DiFrancesco, PT, DPT, ATC, CSCS is the Head Strength & Conditioning Coach for the Los Angeles Lakers and Founder of TD Athletes Edge, where he provides fitness, recovery and nutrition guidance to aspiring and professional athletes. For training advice, visit www.tdathletesedge.com and follow him on Twitter/Instagram through @tdathletesedge.

References:

Almendraia, A. (2015, April 14). Why The FDA Action Against KIND Bars Doesn't Mean They're Unhealthy. Retrieved April 19, 2015.

Burger, D., & Giammona, C. (2015, April 14). Kind Bars Aren’t Healthy Enough for ‘Healthy’ Tag, FDA Says. Retrieved April 19, 2015.

Eenfeldt, A. (2012, June 17). Stunning: Saturated Fat and the European Paradox. Retrieved April 19, 2015.

Howard BV, Van Horn L, Hsia J, et al. Low-Fat Dietary Pattern and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease: The Women's Health Initiative Randomized Controlled Dietary Modification Trial. JAMA.2006;295(6):655-666. doi:10.1001/jama.295.6.655.

Kulp, P. (2015, April 15). Kind Bars aren't as healthy as they claim to be, FDA says. Retrieved April 19, 2015.

Oh, I. (2015, April 14). The FDA Has Some Bad News About Your Kind Bars. Retrieved April 19, 2015.

Peterson, H. (2015, April 14). One of the Hottest Healthy Healthy Snack Food Companies is Suddenly Under Fire. Retrieved April 19, 2015.

Siri-Tarino, P., Sun, Q., Hu, F., & Krauss, R. (2010). Meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies evaluating the association of saturated fat with cardiovascular disease. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Retrieved April 19, 2015, from http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/early/2010/01/13/ajcn.2009.27725.full.pdf html