New Inverted HHS Food Pyramid Receives Grade "B" for Beefy

• Sugar – Addictive, nonessential, and dangerous in both processed and natural concentrated forms. This group is associated with obesity and diabetes.
• Starch – Excessive carbohydrates converted to sugar, fueling obesity and diabetes.
• Saturated Fat – Found in animal products like meat, butter, cheese, and pork; stimulates hepatic cholesterol synthesis and promotes atherosclerosis. Saturated animal fat is calorie dense, provides nonessential fatty acids, and directly contributes to obesity. They also are associated with increased risk of some cancers. So this group is associated with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, cancer, and obesity.

He critiques the new HHS pyramid for defending the third “S.” According to him, saturated fat intake should remain below 10 grams daily to prevent cardiovascular disease and obesity. Robert F. Kennedy has said there has been an '‘unjust war against saturated fat.” McCullough disagrees.

1. Americans consume around 50 billion hamburgers annually. This figure comes from USDA estimates and industry reports, which note that the average American eats about three burgers per week, adding up to roughly 150 burgers per person per year across the population. That is hardly a “war” on animal fat. Rather there will plenty of work for interventional cardiologists, cardiac surgeons, and heart centers eager for more cases as the new pyramid advances more animal fat from pork, beef, chicken, and full-fat dairy products.

2. Evidence Linking Saturated Fat to Disease
   McCullough references extensive clinical evidence—over 1,500 studies—linking saturated fat to elevated LDL cholesterol and coronary artery disease. He rejects recent “pro-saturated-fat” or keto/carnivore reinterpretations as methodologically weak, calling them “sloppy dietary epidemiology” done to justify the keto-carnivore craze.
3. Recommended Diet Composition McCullough proposes a diet emphasizing:
   • High-quality proteins: fish, beans, nuts, egg whites, and nonfat dairy.
   • Fruits and vegetables: unrestricted consumption.
   • Avoidance: pork (due to “genetic vaccines” in livestock), processed oils, refined starches, sugars, and saturated fats.
     He approves limited, infrequent consumption of lean chicken or beef.
4. Praise and Critique of the Inverted Pyramid
   • Grade: B — McCullough praises the pyramid’s reduced emphasis on starch and sugar but criticizes inclusion of red meat, butter, cheese, and pork.
   • Suggestions for “A+” rating: remove those saturated fat sources entirely or relegate them to the bottom with refined starch.
5. Lifestyle Validation: The Seventh-Day Adventist Example He cites Seventh-Day Adventists—noted vegans and vegetarians—as having the lowest rates of coronary disease, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome, highlighting National Nutrition Advisor Dr. Ben Carson as an exemplar. McCullough notes their dietary purity and longevity as benchmark outcomes.
6. Takeaway Dr. McCullough concludes that minimizing all three S’s (sugar, starch, and saturated fat) is the key to optimizing cardiovascular and metabolic health, reducing cancer risk, and promoting longevity. He underscores that health is not achieved by favoring one macronutrient but by simultaneously de-emphasizing all harmful dietary groups.