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Nutritional Heresy No. 6: Ignore Dietary Guidelines
The official recommendations are neither fish nor fowl. Nor food
I was having a pub lunch the other day and was greatly amused to see there was a vegan ‘fish’ and chips option. The fish part was a deep-fried battered banana, which at £17.99 — just a pound less than the real thing — suggests that plant-based diets definitely work for some.
The World Health Organization would approve. During the 2023 Climate Change Conference (COP28), the president of the WHO, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, called for a transition to a plant-based diet, for the good of both human and environmental health.
The WHO has for several years made clear its position on meat. Red meat, especially processed red meat, causes cancer. The less you eat the better. Just like sugar. In 2024, the WHO stated that a diet high in sugars and simple carbohydrates is largely responsible for many chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes, obesity, and metabolic syndrome.
And not let’s forget fat. The WHO’s position on this macronutrient is that excessive dietary fat is associated with obesity, heart disease and some cancers.
The WHO is the agency of the United Nations responsible for international health. It is surely the last word in dietary wisdom…
