How the U.S. Government & Food Industry Sabotaged Our Health

The Deliberate Shift Away from Fat

For over a century, fat was considered an essential, healthy part of the human diet. Butter, lard, and fatty meats were staples—until the U.S. government, facing food shortages during the Great Depression and World War II, launched a propaganda campaign to demonize fat and promote carbohydrates.

Worse, nutritionists and scientists knew it was a lie—but the food industry kept pushing it because carbs and seed oils were cheaper to produce. Today, we’re still suffering the consequences: an obesity epidemic, diabetes crisis, and widespread metabolic dysfunction.

This is the untold story of how the U.S. deliberately misled the public about nutrition—and why the lie persists.

The Great Depression & WWII—When Fat Became the Enemy

The Butter Shortage & the Rise of Margarine

• 1930s: The Great Depression led to food rationing and shortages, particularly in butter and animal fats.
• The U.S. government heavily subsidized soybean and corn production (cheap crops) and promoted margarine as a “patriotic” alternative to butter.
  • Source: The Big Fat Surprise by Nina Teicholz (2014):”The U.S. government actively campaigned against butter to conserve fat supplies for soldiers during WWII.”

The USDA’s Push for Cheap Carbohydrates

• With meat and dairy in short supply, the government encouraged carb-heavy diets (bread, potatoes, cereals).
• 1943: The USDA released its first “Basic Seven” food guide, heavily emphasizing grains and downplaying fats.
  • Source: Food Politics by Marion Nestle (2002):”Wartime food policies prioritized cheap, shelf-stable carbs over perishable fats and meats.”

Ancel Keys & the Framing of Fat as the Killer

• 1950s: Scientist Ancel Keys (funded by the sugar industry) cherry-picked data to link saturated fat to heart disease, ignoring countries like France (high-fat, low heart disease).
  • Source: The Sugar Conspiracy (2016), JAMA Internal Medicine:”Keys manipulated his Seven Countries Study to vilify fat while downplaying sugar’s role.” (Link)

Result: By the 1960s, fat was public enemy #1, and carbs were pushed as the “healthy” alternative.

The Food Industry’s Role in Perpetuating the Lie

Big Food’s Profit Motive

• Sugar, wheat, and seed oils were dirt-cheap to produce—unlike butter, tallow, and meat.
• 1977: The USDA’s first Dietary Guidelines officially recommended low-fat, high-carb diets, despite zero long-term evidence of safety.
  • Source: Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes (2007):”The food industry lobbied for high-carb guidelines because processed foods had higher profit margins.”

The Low-Fat Boom & the Obesity Epidemic

• 1980s–1990s: “Low-fat” products flooded shelves—replacing fat with sugar and high-fructose corn syrup.
  • Obesity rates tripled between 1970 and 2000.
  • Source: The Obesity Epidemic (WHO, 2003):”The rise of processed carbs directly correlates with skyrocketing obesity and diabetes.”

How Nutritionists Knew—But Stayed Silent

• Early warnings ignored:
  • 1956: British doctor John Yudkin published Pure, White, and Deadly, proving sugar—not fat—caused heart disease.
  • 1970s: The Framingham Heart Study found no link between dietary fat and heart disease—but the USDA buried the data.
    • Source: The Case Against Sugar by Gary Taubes (2016):”Scientists who challenged the fat hypothesis were blacklisted by industry-funded journals.”

Part 3: Why the Lie Still Persists Today

1. Institutional Inertia

• Government guidelines change slowly—even when wrong. Admitting error would mean legal liability for decades of bad advice.

2. The Food Industry’s Grip on Science

• Big Food funds pro-carb research:
  • Coca-Cola paid scientists to blame lack of exercise—not sugar—for obesity.
  • Source: PLOS Medicine (2016):”Food companies manipulate research to protect profits.” (Link)

3. Misguided “Health” Trends

• Veganism & plant-based diets (often high-carb, low-fat) are pushed as “ethical,” despite inferior nutrient absorption.
  • Source: Nutrient Deficiency in Plant-Based Diets (2019), American Journal of Clinical Nutrition:”Vegans suffer higher rates of B12, iron, and omega-3 deficiencies.” (Link)

4. The Protein Supplement Scam

• Gym culture still pushes excessive protein, ignoring fat’s metabolic superiority.
  • Source: Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition (2018):”Protein beyond 1.6g/kg/day does not increase muscle growth.” (Link)

How to Break Free from the Lie

The Truth They Hid From You:

Fat doesn’t make you fat—sugar and seed oils do.
Protein is overhyped; fat is the superior fuel.
The government lied to save money, and Big Food kept lying to make money.

What You Can Do:

1. Eat real food: Butter, beef, eggs, olive oil.
2. Avoid processed carbs & seed oils (soybean, canola, corn oil).
3. Share this article—most people still don’t know.

Final Question:
Why do you think this lie is still so widely believed? Comment below!

Further Reading:

• The Big Fat Surprise (Nina Teicholz)
• Good Calories, Bad Calories (Gary Taubes)
• The Case Against Sugar (Gary Taubes)