Dr Oz blasts 'white foods' as obesity drivers as federal dietary guidelines continue to make waves
The new dietary guidelines released this year target ultra-processed foods while promoting protein and easing up on saturated fats.
CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz told Fox News Digital the guidelines should have happened a long time ago.
"We've gotten America to realize what we've all, in medicine, known for quite a while — [that if] you eat healthy fats, the right amount of carbohydrates and focus on protein, you're much better off," said Oz in a recent on-camera interview.
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He said he's already seen a push from the food industry to promote simple carbohydrates.
"All the white foods, white flour, white rice, white sugar — all these tend to create obesity," said Oz.
"Paradoxically, it's not eating fat that makes you fat. It's sugar that makes you fat, because your body processes it and stores it for future use," he added.
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Fox News Digital caught up with him recently in Washington, D.C., during the premiere of the new documentary, "MELANIA."
Over 40% of Americans over the age of 20 battle obesity, according to data shared by the CDC for the period Aug. 2021 to Aug. 2023.
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Nearly 15 million youths are obese, according to the CDC.
The new guidelines advise Americans to "significantly reduce" the consumption of highly processed and refined carbohydrates such as white bread, flour tortillas and crackers.
Board-certified and licensed dietitian nutritionist Kendall Mackintosh, based in Bethesda, Maryland, told Fox News Digital that refined "white foods" and highly processed grains are "among the most damaging components of the standard American diet from a metabolic standpoint."
"These foods have been stripped of fiber, minerals and natural nutrients, and they are absorbed quickly — leading to rapid rises in blood sugar and insulin," said Mackintosh.
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"Over time, repeated insulin surges can drive increased fat accumulation, persistent cravings, systemic inflammation and a higher risk of insulin resistance."
She added, "Despite decades of low-fat dietary messaging, it is often excess refined carbohydrates and sugar — rather than healthy fats — that strongly promote fat storage in the body."
Mackintosh said the real issue is not fat from whole foods, but the "chronic overconsumption of processed carbohydrates that disrupts long-term metabolic health."
In related news, Dr. Oz on Friday spoke with "Fox & Friends" about the new Trump RX website, which promises big savings on medications for Americans. "It's fair … It will save money, it will save lives," he said about the new initiative.