Food Pyramid

[camkuhns]

For those whao are interested, the USDA is accepting wriiten input for the food guide pyramid. Some information can be found at www.cnpp.usda.gov/pyramid-update/index.html. Comments can be sent to:
Food Guide Pyramid Reassessment Team
USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion
3101 Park Center Drive, Room 1034
Alexandria, VA 22302

[becky160]

Thanks so much for the information!!! :wiggle: :wiggle:

[mle_ii]

Ok, I decided to go to the food pyramid site and browse around. Here I saw some lists of what people (supposedly the public) are recommending to the USDA for the food pyramid.

What did I see, a form letter from a bunch of people pushing soy products and being totally vegitarian. And a bunch of form letters from walnut farmers pushing walnuts. Ridiculous!!!! This is "public" feedback????

Though I do agree about consuming more vegetables (starchy not included) I don't agree that consuming meat or animal products is bad. For one a large number of the public will not go meatless or consume no animal products. I for one won't ever give it up. More to that point, though people might get some of the nutrients from vegetable products, most people won't stick to a diet containing largely soy and non animal products.

Also, though I do agree that the consumption of nuts is good, we don't need industries steering the USDA. What should steer the USDA is to base the food pyramid upon fact and science. And if not enough study has been done, then more needs to be done.

Saying eating fat and meat, etc leads to disease clearly shows that the studies weren't done correctly and is a disservice to the public. Though I would agree that diet studies are difficult, too many variables.

Anyway this leads me to my point. Please please please, we need more "real" people to contribute to the USDA regarding the food pyramid. If it goes where it looks like it's going I for one will not follow it, and I bet you the vast majority of the US won't follow it.

Though I am no expert on nutrition and diet, I think we could do better. Please contribute, I know I will.

Thanks,
Mike

[mle_ii]

One further note, could someone put this thread in a more visible location or at least a sticky? I don't know how many people read this folder, but thought more people should chime in.

[cc48510]

Damn, there's alot of those Vegan ones...Any chance PETA, PCRM, Ornish or one of them other vegan wackos is behind the form letters ??? There were some interesting ones. I liked the one from the PIMA Indians that suggested they reduce the amount of carbs and emphasize Monounsaturated fats. They also did not take the position that saturated fats were damaging, only that the jury was still out on their healthfullness. They were pretty Anti-Trans Fat...But, I wish they would have suggested ZERO instead of 1 serving or less. The fact the Pimas are saying that carbs are making their people fat and unhealthy...clearly contradicts the LFers claim that the Pimas were healthy because they ate lots of carbs and little fat.

There was another good one that suggested eating raw vegetables [which I agree with] because cooking breaks down the cell walls [fiber,] which we all know increases the GI/GL. He also suggested that they stop pushing carbs so much and emphasize "Good Fats." I was suprised to see Coconut Oil and Lard listed as Good Fats. Margarine was listed a "Bad Fat." Finally, someone gets it.

I'll write up my suggestions soon and send them in. I wonder how they'd react to my proposed Food Pyramid ???

http://www.cs.uwf.edu/~ccarr/pyramid.PNG

BEFORE REPLYING PLEASE READ BELOW !!!

My suggested pyramid is broken up into daily foods (indicated with green); weekly foods (indicated with yellow); and monthly foods (indicated with red). Serving suggestions for daily foods are servings per day; for weekly foods are servings per week; and for monthly foods are servings per month.

Servings sizes preceded by the less than/equal to symbol indicate a food is not necessary...and the number of servings for a given period of time be the amount listed or less. Zero servings is perfectly acceptable. A specific range of servings indicates a healthy person not on a weight-reducing diet* should eat no less than the lowest number and no more than the highest number of servings.

"Vegetables" means the leaves, stems, and sprouts of edible plants. These include Lettuce, Cabbage, Broccoli, Spinach, and other such vegetables. The term does not include Tubers [Potatoes, Parsnips, Carrots, and Radishes] which are listed seperatly higher up on the pyramid.

"LGI Fruit" stands for Low Glycemic Fruits. This means fruits with a Moderate to Low Glycemic Index. Most fruits fit into the category. Bananas and Dried Fruits are the most likely to be high glycemic. Although, melons are high on the glycemic index...they are relatively low in carbs, resulting in a low glycemic load. These should be considered LGI Fruit for purposes of counting. Hi-Glycemic Fruits should be counted as Sweets, with the number of servings determined by the amount of Sugars present.

"Green Legumes" means Green Beans, Green Peas, and Snow Peas. Do not count Green Legumes as a vegetable. They can be counted as either a "Green Legume" or a Legume. "Green Fruit" means Cucumbers and Green Tomatoes. They can be counted as either a "Green Fruit" or a "LGI Fruit."

Although peanuts are technically legumes, their nutrient profile is similar to that of a nut, and thus they should be counted as a Nut and not a legume. Corn is considered a Grain no matter how it is prepared. If the whole kernel is used [Popcorn and Corn on the Cobb] it is a Whole Grain. If the germ or bran is removed [Degerminated Cornmeal] it is considered a Refined Grain. Bran and Germ may be considered Whole Grains as they are high in Fiber and Nutrients...which are lacking in refined grains.

12 oz. of Beer should be counted as 1 serving of Grain.

[korry1977]

Let us know when you submit them in... we would like to know someone who will be famous for saving the countless lives and preventing many diseases... :)