The sad fact is that the food pyramid is not intended to help us eat more healthful food. The charter of the US Department of Agriculture, the agency responsible for the American food pyramid, is to foster and encourage the growth of U.S. agro-industry. According to Harvard-based nutritionist Walter Willett, this conflict of interest has led to a food pyramid with glaring errors and omissions when compared to the results of unbiased nutrition science.
Fats
According to the USDA food pyramid, all fats should be "used sparingly" or entirely avoided. However, Willet reports that only trans-fats and saturated fats are bad for your health. In fact, unsaturated fats such as those found in vegetable oils and fatty fish are good for your heart. They provide HDL, the good kind of cholesterol. The USDA diet accounts for an insufficient intake of foods that include these healthy fats.
Carbohydrates
The USDA food pyramid loves carbs. It recommends eating more grains than fruits and vegetables combined. Cynics, including Willett, claim this is because U.S. agro-businesses produce more grains than any other kind of food. According to Willett, along with a host of other health experts including "Superfoods Rx" author Dr. Steven Pratt and wellness celebrity Dr. Hehmet Oz, limiting your carb is a healthier approach to eating. Simple carbohydrates like unrefined grains and potatoes deliver a rapid sugar rush to your system almost as quickly as candy. Willett recommends eating a single serving of whole grain carbohydrates with each meal. He recommends eating no more than that, and avoiding unrefined carbohydrates altogether.
Protein
Red meat, poultry, fish, nuts and beans all occupy the same designation within the USDA food pyramid. This suggests that all protein sources are the same. In fact, according to Willett, different sources of protein have different levels of value. For example, red meat carries with it high levels of unhealthy saturated fats. On the other end of the spectrum, beans, turkey and some fish are on Dr. Pratt's list of foods that are unusually good for you.
Dairy
The USDA pyramid recommends that dairy is an essential component of the diet. This is because of the high concentration of calcium, a nutrient the body uses to build bones. Willett reports two problems with this theory. First, research shows no difference in fracture rates between countries where people eat a lot of dairy and those where people eat very little dairy. If dairy were vital for bone health, this would not be the case. Further, dairy bring a lot of unhealthy fat and many calories along with its gift of calcium. Other foods, including leafy green vegetables and many beans, carry as much or more calcium by weight than dairy.
Fruits and Vegetables
Dr. Pratt's work diverges from the USDA recommendations on fruits and veggies in two ways. First, he recommends eating more than the five to nine servings recommended by the USDA. Second, the USDA recognizes only two groups: fruits and vegetables. According to both Pratt and Willett, the benefits of different fruits and vegetables vary widely. For example, a diet with a green leaf salad at every meal would meet USDA recommendations and deliver plenty of roughage, calcium and iron. However, it would miss out entirely on the keratine in orange peppers and the vitamin C in broccoli.
References
- "Eat, Drink and Be Healthy"; Dr. Walter Willett, et al; 2006
- "Superfoods Rx"; Steven Pratt & Kathy Matthews; 2005
- USDA Food Pyramid
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