“I’m from the government, and I’m here to help you.” by Randy Drake
f
someone approached you and said that, youd be suspicious.
Yet how many of us rely on information from government sources to
make decisions about our personal life?
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
released its first Food Pyramid in 1946. The current
version (below) was released in 1992 and called for the daily consumption
of 6-11 servings of starches (bread, cereal, rice, and pasta) and
2-3 daily servings of high protein foods (beef, poultry, eggs, fish).
During the past 50 years the food pyramid has been published widely
in the U.S. and elevated to the status of Holy Scripture by many
nutritionists. The USDA pyramid is also distributed throughout the
world. The USA Rice Federation, for example, includes the food pyramid
in its promotion of U.S. rice products.
But look again at the graphic. What do the products listed in the
bottom two tiers of the pyramid have in common? What
do the products listed in the top tiers have in common?
It should come as no surprise that the U.S. Department of Agriculture
claims that everyone should consume more agricultural products
and less animal products. The U.S. Rice Federation and other agricultural
organizations are pleased to have their very own government department
looking out for their best interest.
But is the USDA food pyramid in our best interest? Unfortunately,
whats good for people who sell the food is not necessarily
good for people who eat the food! The scientifically unfounded
recommendations put forth by our government leads to excess weight,
poor health, and early death. More than two decades before the 1992
release of this pyramid it was known that consumption of excess
carbohydrates is the main cause of obesity and type 2 diabetes.
(Dr. Atkins research was first published in 1970.)
Obviously, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is not responsible
for promoting human health. So why hasnt the food pyramid
been designed by the government departments that are responsible
for promoting health, such as the Department of Health and Human
Services or the National Institutes of Health? Or, at the very least,
why havent those departments sounded the alarm about the health-destroying
nature of eating the way the USDA recommends? We can only speculate.
In the face of growing criticism, the USDA is re-evaluating
their food pyramid. Fortunately, there is also a growing recognition
that the food pyramid needs to be redesigned by an organization
with less conflict of interest. Several proposed changes exist,
but one of the most thoroughly researched and documented designs
is from two professors at the Harvard School of Public Health. Those
professors, Walter C. Willett and Meir J. Stampfe, have designed
their food pyramid based upon over 20 years of nutrition research.
Their recommendations, presented graphically below, were published
in the Journal of Clinical Nutrition (Dec. 2002) and Scientific
American (Jan. 2003).
Let thy food be thy medicine.
Hippocrates
(Source:
Harvard School of Public Health)
(Source: Redesigning
the Food Pyramid, by Jim English)
(More
info: Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy, by Walter C. Willett,
MD)
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