The new USDA food-guide pyramid was recently released, and although it may appear to be just another confusing set of guidelines to figure out and aspire to, it has the potential to help prevent some leading causes of death in the United States today, including diabetes, obesity, heart disease and cancer.
While there are so many influences on our health these days - such as environmental pollution, the media, genetics and even our emotional health as individuals and as a nation - what we eat has a profound influence on our health.
The first food guide
The USDA's first food guide was published in 1916 and was primarily focused on ensuring the general population got enough calories.
As physical labor jobs declined over time, the guide was reformulated into the "basic four" that was popular from the 1950s to the '70s, showing equal concentrations of fruit and vegetables, grains, dairy and meat.
When this was shown to provide too much fat and protein and inadequate grains, the first food pyramid was created in 1992 to show more appropriate proportions.
What many critics disliked about the now-old pyramid was its lack of specificity: mysteriously sized servings, lack of differentiation within food groups and the standardized quantities seeming to imply that a 5-year-old child and a 30-something marathon runner should eat the same quantity of food.
Variables
What we do have in the new pyramid is variability. There are 12 separate food pyramids, with the ability to individualize the pyramids to each person's age, sex and activity level. This is a wonderful improvement since, as we all know from too many fad diets and exercise programs, that in the realm of health "one size" frequently does not fit all.
The new pyramid also addressed the ambiguous serving-size issue by quantifying by cups or ounces.
The computer version available at www.mypyramid.gov is very user-friendly and offers the option of clicking on any particular food group for more detailed information.
Meal-tracking worksheets are also available to print off the website so someone can do a diet diary for a few days and see how closely their intake compares to the recommendations.
All in the details
Other great changes are apparent in the details of the new pyramid.
Within the vegetable category, dark-green leafy vegetables (the stuff that makes so many large mammals big and strong) and orange, yellow and red fruits and veggies are specifically mentioned and emphasized to ensure adequate vitamin and min-eral intake.
Likewise, in the grains category, whole grains are emphasized with the recommendation for whole grains to comprise half of your intake. You can even click on the grain slice (no pun intended) of the pyramid to see lists of grains classified as whole or refined.
On the downside of the details is the omission of essential fatty acids. The oils section of the website still does not mention or explain anything about essential fatty acids such as omega 3s in the diet, despite all the recent studies showing so many benefits for heart health, child development, etc.
There is also an entire category for milk, instead of simply placing it with calcium-rich products. Although the pyramid does mention lactose-free alternatives or calcium-rich foods, it provides no listing of possibilities.
While milk is a great source of calcium and protein, many nuts, seeds and dark, leafy greens have as much or more calcium per cup than milk without the saturated fat, cholesterol or possible dairy allergies associated with milk.
Excercise included
Since our diets are only one component of health, the new pyramid thankfully includes exercise frequency and intensity as one of the key components of healthy living. It also takes exercise into account when determining an optimal daily calorie count.
Unfortunately, the old pyramid did not work for optimizing health as Americans have grown larger every year since its introduction. The new pyramid should be a more useful tool for optimizing our diets and consequently, our health.
Dr. Alex Kraft is a consulting naturopathic physician and licensed acupuncturist at Pharmaca Integrative Pharmacy in Madison Park.
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