“Is saturated fat really the route of all health evils?” questioned Dariush Mozaffarian, MD DrPH in an engaging talk entitled “Fats, Oils and Health: What Does the Science Say About Fats & Oils in the American Diet” presented at the Food Technology, Innovation, and Safety Summit, held in Chicago on May 18 and 19, 2011.

The Mediterranean diet can be a simple and tasty way of eating healthy; however, formulating for it requires a degree of moderation and the realization that consumer attitudes do not change overnight.

The U.S. Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee's (DGAC) recommendations for new nutritional guidelines were released in mid-June and included saturated fat guidelines to...limit saturated fatty acid intake to less than 7% of total calories and substitute instead food sources of mono- or polyunsaturated fatty acids...and limit cholesterol-raising fats (saturated fats exclusive of stearic acid and trans fatty acids) to less than 5-7% of energy.