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Federal Dietary Guidelines

A bald eagle in flight, spilling a glass of wine | Illustration: Joanna Andreasson

Alcohol

The New Prohibitionists Are Hijacking Federal Dietary Guidelines

The campaign to make America dry is as dubious as the campaign for the food pyramid.

Eric Boehm | 4.5.2025 7:00 AM

A glass of bourbon whiskey | Flickr/ctj71081

Alcohol

A Scary Government Report Implies That Moderate Drinking Is Manifestly Reckless

The focus on the health risks of alcohol consumption gives short shrift to the reasons people like to drink.

Jacob Sullum | 1.15.2025 2:45 PM

liquor bottles | Flickr/Zaheer Baksh Photography

Alcohol

Why We Are Still Arguing About the Health Effects of Moderate Drinking

The evidence is vast but open to interpretation because observational studies are inherently ambiguous.

Jacob Sullum | 1.8.2025 12:01 AM

Surgeon General Vivek Murthy | Michael Brochstein/ZUMAPRESS/Newscom

Alcohol

Surgeon General Gins Up a Questionable Drinking Causes Cancer Scare

Stealth alcohol prohibition in the guise of an anti-cancer campaign.

Ronald Bailey | 1.6.2025 5:30 PM

RKFNewscom | Lev Radin/ZUMAPRESS/Newscom

Trump Administration

Can RFK Jr. Fix Our Dysfunctional Public Health Agencies?

His priorities may not be the drastic reforms that are actually needed.

Ronald Bailey | 11.15.2024 5:25 PM

A woman in a bar holding a drink | Jose Carlos Ichiro/Westend61 GmbH/Newscom

Prohibition

The Secret Committee Behind America's Prohibition Comeback

Washington bureaucrats are rewriting the rules on drinking, and a hidden panel of unelected officials could be paving the way for Prohibition 2.0.

C. Jarrett Dieterle | 8.10.2024 7:00 AM

A woman carrying two large mugs of beer | Photo 100128816 © Sergey Nazarov | Dreamstime.com

Alcohol

America's Alcohol Czar Wants Stricter Federal Guidelines for Drinking

George Koob says the U.S. could follow Canada's lead and recommend no more than two alcoholic drinks per week.

Eric Boehm | 8.25.2023 2:50 PM

A disheveled man holds a hamburger and an apple. | Photo 56758825 © Alphaspirit | Dreamstime.com

Food

'MyPlate,' the USDA's 'Food Pyramid' Replacement, Is Also a Dud

The federal government continues to be very bad at telling people what and how to eat.

Baylen Linnekin | 12.10.2022 8:30 AM

dreamstime_xl_85580358 | Williammacgregor | Dreamstime.com

FDA

The FDA Wants To Take Your Salt Away

Most Americans are not consuming excessive amounts of sodium.

Ronald Bailey | 10.13.2021 5:10 PM

FoodPyramid | Illustration <a href="https://www.dreamstime.com/healthy-food-plan-pyramid-infographics-balanced-diet-percentage-lifestyle-concept-ingredients-meal-plan-healthy-food-plan-image158068506">158068506</a> © <a href="https://www.dreamstime.com/arthurbalitskiy_info" itemprop="author">Artur Balytskyi</a> - <a href="https://www.dreamstime.com/illustration/food-guide-pyramid.html">Dreamstime.com</a>

Federal Dietary Guidelines

The Uproar Over New Federal Dietary Guidelines Is a Lot of Hot Air

Refusing to recommend policy based on bad science isn't unscientific.

Baylen Linnekin | 1.2.2021 8:30 AM

tpgrfphotos159599 | Top Photo Group/Newscom

Reason Roundup

The Government Isn't About To Tell You To Stop Drinking Now

Plus: Operation Warp Speed is off to a slow start, Trump's school choice order, and more...

Elizabeth Nolan Brown | 12.30.2020 9:43 AM

Donna-Harris | Photo courtsey Mississippi Justice Institute

Occupational Licensing

A Mississippi Woman Gave Diet Advice Without a License. The State Threatened To Throw Her in Jail.

Mississippi has a reputation for being one of the most obese states in the nation, as well as having one of America's highest incarceration rates. Neither will be improved by treating unlicensed dieticians like serious criminals.

Eric Boehm | 3.6.2020 9:50 AM

Large image on homepages

Nutrition

Most Nutrition Research Is Bunk

Implausible estimates of benefits or risks associated with diet reflect almost exclusively the magnitude of nutrition researchers' cumulative biases.

Ronald Bailey | 9.6.2018 9:45 AM

Large image on homepages

Reasontv

How Big Government Backed Bad Science and Made Americans Fat

Q&A with journalist Nina Teicholz

Alexis Garcia | 5.3.2018 3:20 PM

Large image on homepages

Nutrition

You Don't Have to Listen to the Government to Eat the Foods You Like.

Bad Food Bible author Aaron Carroll on flawed government nutrition guidelines, diet-science nihilism, and why you shouldn't give in to restrictive food moralism.

Peter Suderman | 11.21.2017 12:03 PM

Large image on homepages | Retales Botijero Westend61/Newscom

Nutrition

More Evidence That Everything the Government Teaches Us About Eating Is Wrong

Global study goes against the grain on fats, fruits, and dietary dogma

Elizabeth Nolan Brown | 8.30.2017 12:38 PM

Large image on homepages | MarianVejcik/iStockPhoto

Science

Go Ahead, Put Salt on Your Food

Ignore the feds' bad advice on diet and nutrition.

Ronald Bailey | 7.1.2017 8:41 PM

Large image on homepages

Epidemiology

Eat More Peppers, Live Longer; Eat More Grilled Meat, Die Sooner

Exploring the absurdities of modern nutritional epidemiology.

Ronald Bailey | 1.25.2017 2:45 PM

Large image on homepages

Sugar

Sugar Wars: Junk Food, Junk Science, or Both?

Big Sugar and the politicization of science

Ronald Bailey | 12.20.2016 5:00 PM

Large image on homepages | m01229 via Foter.com / CC BY

Food Policy

Bad Food Data and Science Still Make for Bad Food Policy

USDA's diet guidelines are a mess because the information it uses is suspect.

Baylen Linnekin | 10.29.2016 8:00 AM

Large image on homepages | fishhawk / photo on flickr

Policy

Runaway Farm Subsidies and Diet Guideline Fights: Federal Food Policy Is a Mess

Two recent examples illustrate deep and broad problems.

Baylen Linnekin | 4.16.2016 8:00 AM

Large image on homepages

Fat

Eating Red Meat, Cheese, Butter, Pork and Cream Is Not a Death Sentence After All

Review of saturated fat studies "do not provide support for the traditional diet heart hypothesis."

Ronald Bailey | 4.13.2016 2:31 PM

Large image on homepages | USDAgov / photo on flickr

Nutrition

Federal Dietary Policies Are an Unsteady Diet of Nothing

Follow the new guidelines at your own peril.

Baylen Linnekin | 1.9.2016 8:00 AM

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