- The famous "food pyramid," considered almost holy by
many nutritionists and dieters, is wrong and hurts both waistlines and
health, claims Dr. Walter Willett, a leading U.S. nutrition
researcher, in his new book Eat, Drink and Be Healthy: The Harvard
Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating (Simon & Schuster,
US$25).
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- The pyramid, developed by the U.S. Department of
Agriculture in 1992, advises daily consumption of six to 11 servings
of bread, cereal, rice, and pasta; two to three servings of meat,
poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs, and nuts; and sparing consumption of
fats, oils, and sweets.
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- The food pyramid is published widely across the
United States. It's printed on cereal boxes and bread wrappers, posted
on elementary school bulletin boards, and published in university
textbooks.
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- It's also known globally. The USA Rice Federation
distributes the food pyramid, for example, through its promotion of
U.S. rice in Mexico.
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- But the food pyramid is outdated and doesn't reflect
the latest food research, says Willett, chairman of the Nutrition
Department at Harvard University, in a July 26 feature in USA
Today.
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- Willett claims that his new food pyramid offers a
longer, and better, life.
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- Furthermore, the USDA food pyramid serves the
interests of its main client, the U.S. agricultural industry, Willett
claims.
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- In Chapter 1 Willett, a long-time critic of the
pyramid, writes, "The thing to keep in mind about the USDA Pyramid is
that it comes from the [U.S.] Department of Agriculture, the agency
responsible for promoting American agriculture, not from agencies
established to monitor and protect our health, like the Department of
Health and Human Services, or the National Institutes of Health, or
the Institute of Medicine.
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- "And there's the root of the problem--what's good
for some agricultural interests isn't necessarily good for the people
who eat their products.
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- "Serving two masters is tricky business, especially
when one of them includes persuasive and well-connected
representatives of the formidable meat, dairy, and sugar industries.
The end result of their tug-of-war is a set of positive, feel-good,
all- inclusive recommendations that completely distort what could be
the single most important tool for improving your health and the
health of the nation.
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- "At best, the USDA Pyramid offers indecisive,
scientifically unfounded advice on an absolutely vital topic--what to
eat. At worst, the misinformation it offers contributes to overweight,
poor health, and unnecessary early deaths."
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- USA Today reported that a startling 61% of U.S.
citizens weigh too much, and about 26% are obese-30 pounds or more
over a healthy weight.
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- Willett says that the USDA pyramid puts too much
emphasis on red meat and lumps too many types of carbohydrates
together. The pyramid gives too little emphasis to nuts, beans, and
healthy oils, which have positive health effects.
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- Willett's alternative, the Healthy Eating Pyramid,
has daily exercise and weight control at the base, and recommends
eating whole grains like brown rice at most meals.
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- It also emphasizes eating plant oils like olive,
canola, and soy, and suggests eating lots of vegetables and gives
fish, poultry, and eggs a higher profile than red meat.
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- USDA had no comment on Willett's new book or his
pyramid, USA Today reported.
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- USDA designed the pyramid as an easy way to show the
groups of foods that make up a good diet, and how much of the
different groups one needs to stay healthy.
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- It is in a pyramid shape, rather than a circle or
square, to explain the different proportions of foods to one another.
The foods that make up the base, or widest part of the pyramid, should
be the largest part of a diet. As one goes up the pyramid, the amounts
get smaller as the pyramid apexes.
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- To read Chapter 1 of Eat, Drink and Be Healthy,
click on SimonSays.com, the Simon & Schuster web site, in
PlanetRice links
below.
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