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Bestselling Author and Harvard Researcher to Speak at UW

Turns out the food pyramid is a bit out of shape.  Dr. Walter Willett, bestselling author and the nation’s foremost expert on diet and nutrition, said current research shows a need for a new plan for healthy eating.  He spoke May 9 at the UW Health Sciences Learning Center (HSLC) on “Optimal Diets: A Progress Report.” To view the presentation online, click here. Risk of coronary heart disease and cancer can be reduced through nutritional means, he said, but it’s not by simply replacing fatty foods with carbohydrates like breads, grains and cereals, as the traditional food pyramid and other documents have suggested.  Instead, Willett—chairman of the department of nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health—said the idea is to consume a diet that’s low in trans fat and sugar and high in cereal fiber, fish and folate.

Willett, a Wisconsin native, drew an analogy to his upbringing in a rural farm area.  “I’m well aware of what to do if you want to fatten cattle,” he said.  “You don’t feed them fat; you feed them grain” and put them in a pen so they can’t exercise.  So eating a lot of grains, as the original food pyramid suggested, might not be the best idea. He pointed out that most Americans also consume much more meat and sugar than people in other countries. 

It’s a good idea to replace trans or saturated fats with vegetable oil, including sources of Omega-3 fatty acids, he said.  Nuts, beans and salad dressing have erroneously been villanized due to fat content, he said.  In reality, these products have been shown to reduce risk of coronary heart disease.  Further, a long-term study conducted by Willett and others at Harvard showed women who consumed more animal fat had higher risks of breast cancer than those who consumed more vegetable fat.

Higher cereal fiber intake was also associated with a lower risk for coronary heart disease.  Other starches—like bagels or white bread—tend to be processed quickly by the human body, leading to a sugar crash, he said.  It’s healthier to obtain glucose from sources such as fruits, pasta or beans.  You’ll feel more full, he said, and it “could have implications for long-term weight loss.”

Willett said current research shows little evidence for a nutritional need for adults to consume dairy products.  For example, studies show rates of osteoporosis are higher in countries that consume high levels of dairy, such as the United States, than in other countries that don’t. 

He recommended consuming these in moderation:  Dairy, red meat, butter, white rice, white bread, white pasta, potatoes, soda and sweets.  Better choices include:  Whole grains, plant oils, fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, fish, poultry and eggs.  Willett also recommends taking a multivitamin every day, specifically one with high levels of vitamin D.  Alcohol is good in moderation, he said, but the benefits only truly show up for people over 50.

Dr. Willet's Healthy Eating Pyramid

Getting plenty of exercise and not consuming tobacco products are also important compliments to a good diet, he said.

Willet has published more than 1,000 research articles, primarily on lifestyle risk factors for heart disease and cancer, and has written the textbook, Nutritional Epidemiology, published by Oxford University Press.  His book for the general public, Eat, Drink and Be Healthy: The Harvard Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating, has appeared on most major bestseller lists.  He has recently published a second book, co-authored with Mollie Katzen:  Eat, Drink, and Weigh Less. 

Dr. Willett is collaborating with the UW Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention (UW-CTRI) on research regarding smoking and diet, funded by the National Institutes of Health.  Dr. Willett and UW-CTRI scientists, such as Dr. Timothy Baker, are examining the relationship between diet and smoking, both while an individual is smoking and after that same individual quits.

To access the UW-CTRI news story archives, click here.