***Take a second and hop over to my sister’s blog, we had a very fun photo shoot yesterday and she’s sharing it all on her blog!! Also, she has a giveaway going on that I think you’d like to check out.***
I was reading the New York Times and saw that the USDA is going to change (yet again, A revised pyramid was released in 2005) our Food Pyramid.
From Wikipedia: “A Food guide pyramid is quantitative nutrition guideline, using a mnemonic graphic of a pyramid with hierarchical separated zones to represent suggested percentages of the daily diet for different food groups.”
The (one of the) original looked like this…
The current Pyramid is like this…
Soon the USDA is going to roll out its new “Food Pyramid”, which will no longer be a pyramid, but a Plate. What that is to look like, we don’t know yet.
From NY Times: “The reality is that very few of us eat like what has been suggested” in government guidelines for healthy eating, Dr. Kessler said. “There’s a world of difference between what’s being served and what’s on that plate.”
He called the plate a major improvement over the pyramid. “It conveys the message simply in a way that we all can understand,” he said. The plate symbol is meant to help educate consumers about the government’s latest dietary guidelines, which were released in January.”
But, question… what if, what the government is suggesting isn’t really the best for us?
From Wikipedia:
“Controversy
Before the dietary pyramid that most of people have become familiar with was invented, the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) published the first list of dietary recommendations. In 1916, the USDA published its first food guide, Food for Young Children.[6] In 1943 the “basic seven” guideline that President Franklin Roosevelt introduced was deemed obsolete because of its complexity and was replaced by the much simpler “basic four”. This consists of milk, meats, breads, and fruits & vegetables. In the 1970s, there was a fifth group added, fats, sugars, and alcohol. People were advised to only have this on a restricted basis though. Then in 1994, after careful consideration of all of the different dietary factors, the USDA released the commonly known food pyramid that consists of four levels with different types of food on each level. However, a recent change has been made to dietary suggestions yet again by editing the food pyramid released in 1994.[7] Many nutritional experts, like Harvard nutritionist Dr. Walter Willett, believe the 1992 pyramid does not reflect the latest research on dietetics.[8] Certain dietary choices that have been linked to heart disease, such as three cups of whole milk and an 8 oz. serving of hamburger daily, were technically permitted under the pyramid. The pyramid also lacked differentiation within the protein-rich group (“Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans, Eggs, and Nuts”).[9]
Some of the recommended quantities for the different types of food in the old pyramid have also come under criticism for lack of clarity. For instance, the pyramid recommends two to three servings from the protein-rich group, but this is intended to be a maximum. The pyramid recommends two to four fruit servings, but this is intended to be the minimum.[10]
The fats group as a whole have been put at the tip of the pyramid, under the direction to eat as little as possible, which is largely problematic. Under the guide, one would assume to avoid fats and fatty foods, which can lead to health problems. For one, fat is essential in a person’s general sustainability.[11][12][13] Unsaturated fats from a natural source can actually aid in weight loss, reduce heart disease risk,[14] lower blood sugar, and even lower cholesterol.[15][16][17] These fats can be found in olive oil,[18][19] nuts,[20][21] pesto,[22] seafood (including fish, shrimp, squid, and krill oil among many more)[23][24] and avocados.[25][26] Also, they are very long sustaining, and help keep blood sugar at a steady level.[27][28] On top of that, these fats help brain function as well.[29]
There are claims that the USDA was (and continues to be) unduly influenced by political pressure exerted by food production associations.[30] Food industries, such as milk companies, have been accused of influencing the United States Department of Agriculture into making the colored spots on the newly created food pyramid larger for their particular product. The milk section has been claimed to be the easiest to see out of the six sections of the pyramid, making individuals believe that more milk should be consumed on a daily basis compared to the others.[31] Furthermore, the inclusion of milk as a group unto itself implies that is an essential part of a healthy diet, despite the many people who are lactose intolerant and choose to abstain from dairy, and a number of cultures that have historically consumed little if any dairy products with the exception of breast-feeding.“
Harvard School of Public Health food pyramid looks like this…
The healthy eating pyramid recommends the following intake of different food groups each day, although exact amounts of calorie intake depends on sex, age, and lifestyle:
- Daily exercise to expend calories for weight control
- At most meals, whole grain foods including oatmeal, whole-wheat bread, and brown rice;1 piece or 4 oz (~113.4g).
- Plant oils, including olive oil, canola oil, soybean oil, corn oil, and sunflower seed oil; 2 oz. (~56.7g) per day
- Vegetables, in abundance 3 or more each day. Each serv. 6 oz (~170g).
- 2-3 servings of fruits; Ea. serv. = 1 piece of fruit or 4 oz (~113.4g).
- 1-2 servings of dairy or calcium supplement; Ea serv. = 8 oz. (~226.8g) non fat or 4 oz. (~113.4g) of whole.
- Sparing use of white rice, white bread, potatoes, pasta and sweets;
Here’s what I think.
I think Harvard out of all of them got it the best. The way their food pyramid is structured is like how I eat now (minus the meat). Daily exercise and weight control is listed as a priority, I believe because for so long it hasn’t been and that is way our nation has an obesity problem.
I also have issue with the USDA and their food pyramid… I don’t mind that it changes, I think refining what you’re doing and always evaluating how you’re doing things is good. But after watching Food Inc, I’m very skeptical if the government is really looking after our health or their own benefit. If our government can’t even get their debt spending issues under control, what confidence do I have that they’re thinking intelligently when it comes to telling me what food to consume? Just my thoughts.
Now, I want to hear yours…
What do you think?
- Which pyramid do you think got it right?
- What are your thoughts on the upcoming changes to to current food pyramid, soon to be “plate”?
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