Reshaping the Pyramid, the Comedy of Carbs, and Health Advice from McDonald's

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Reshaping the Pyramid, the Comedy of Carbs, and Health Advice from McDonald’s

USA Today writes:

 

Across the board, Americans want more information. The current pyramid groups all grains at the bottom, followed by fruits and vegetables, then meat and dairy products and finally fats and sugars.

Virtually everyone asked for more distinctions, separating simple and complex carbs, healthy and unhealthy oils, breaking nuts and beans out of the meat and fish category, and even separating starchy vegetables from leafy greens.

The Brain Garden takes out the guess work, making it easier for you to eat right. With our foods, you know you’re getting complex carbs, whole grains, and healthy omega-3 fatty acids from nuts, all in delicious and ultra-convenient meals and snacks. What could be easier than that?

While I was writing this article, I got an e-mail from WebMD with the subject line, “Are you carb smart?” It stated, “If you're one of the many people who are carb counting, chances are you could use some help managing your new ‘low-carb lifestyle.’ Managing a lifestyle? Carb counting? I want my meals to be fun and easy. I don’t want to crunch numbers. What’s so great about that? With Food First, you have a real opportunity to show customers that eating right can be a treat, not a chore.

One respondent to the USDA, Caile Spear of Boise, Idaho, identified the opportunity we have to spread the message of primary nutrition: “The science has evolved and yet most Americans are health illiterate. They do not understand how to make good choices based on the best science.”

Isn’t it more likely that Americans (and others) merely want good choices to be convenient? That’s our biggest advantage: we make whole foods as convenient as fast food. How many people feel like Caile Spear? How many people are looking for something to improve their health?

Many industries and lobbyists sent in their comments to the USDA, promoting their agendas. According to USA Today, “Walnut growers were the most prolific, with more than 20 letters touting the nut’s alpha-linolenic acid, an essential fatty acid that cannot be manufactured by the body.”

With all the attention given to low-carb diets, bread manufacturers were intent on keeping bread and grains as an integral part of the pyramid. The Independent Bakers Association wrote: “Americans need to stop blaming carbohydrates for weight problems. Simply put, Americans need to cut down on caloric intake and increase their physical activity.”

In our March 1 Leadership Update, we looked at carbs and low-carb diets. We argued that carbs are okay, if they are the right carbs, in the right ratios. Hopefully you’ve been able to work with potential clients who are carb-conscience.

Columnist Dave Barry, who writes for the Miami Herald and is syndicated in hundreds of newspapers, took a humorous look at carbs in his March 28 column. His wry comments underscore the bizarre dieting lengths some people will go to. He writes:

 

When my generation was your age, we did some pretty stupid things. I'm talking about taking CRAZY risks. We drank water right from the tap. But for sheer insanity, the wildest thing we did was—prepare to be shocked—we deliberately ingested carbohydrates.

I’m not proud of this. My only excuse was that we were ignorant. It's not like now, when everybody knows how bad carbohydrates are, and virtually every product is advertised as being “low-carb,” including beer, denture adhesives, floor wax, tires, life insurance and Viagra. Back then, we had no idea. Nobody did! Our own MOTHERS gave us bread!

In the old days we didn't recognize the danger of carbohydrates. We believed that the reason you got fat was from eating “calories,” which are tiny units of measurement that cause food to taste good. When we wanted to lose weight, we went on low-calorie diets in which we ate only inedible foods such as celery, which is actually a building material, and grapefruit, which is nutritious, but offers the same level of culinary satisfaction as chewing on an Odor Eater.

Barry satirizes the Atkins Diet and its anti-carb stance:

 

Dr. Atkins discovered an amazing thing: Calories don't matter! What matter are carbohydrates, which result when a carbo molecule and a hydrate molecule collide at high speeds and form tiny invisible doughnuts. Dr. Atkins' discovery meant that—incredible though it seemed—as long as you avoided carbohydrates, you could, without guilt, eat high-fat, high-calorie foods such as cheese, bacon, lard, pork rinds and whale. You could eat an entire pig, as long as the pig had not recently been exposed to bread.

Barry is obviously a master of hyperbole, but his point is well taken. How can a cheeseburger (and likely a cheeseburger without a bun) be better for you than complex carbs, such as a slice of wheat bread? The answer to better health lies in balance, whole foods, fiber, water, reasonable caloric intake, and exercise.

If Dave Barry’s article didn’t tickle your funny bone, an MSN Money article will. MSN reports “McDonald's, the world's largest fast-food company, launched an anti-obesity education campaign that it said would promote the importance of exercise and a balanced lifestyle.”

Huh? McDonald’s and anti-obesity education? Isn’t that like Enron hosting a convention on ethics?

According to the article, “McDonalds said it was ‘committed to playing a responsible and active role’ in solving the obesity problem in the United States.”

Here’s the interesting part. Apparently, McDonald’s is “launching a new Web site to go along with its ‘Go Active’ adult Happy Meals, which include a salad, bottled water and a pedometer to encourage walking. The Web site, filled with pictures of celebrity athletes including basketball star Yao Ming, allows users to create fitness plans and track workouts.”

A website as part of a fitness plan? Hmm, where have I heard that before? So, will the McDonald’s website have users enter the number of Big Macs they have eaten and sodas they have had every day, like we have people indicate the servings of primary nutrition and water they drink? Admittedly, it’s good to see restaurants like McDonald’s offer healthier food, but how can a fast food company in good faith offer anti-obesity education?

On the subject of McDonald’s, how can we forget the documentary film, Super Size Me, which we first mentioned in our January 27 edition? According to the film’s website, www.supersizeme.com, it will be in theaters May 7. Be sure to visit the site, and while you are there, watch the super size trailer…

At the Brain Garden, there’s no conflict of interest. We offer a complete program that shows you how to start to make healthy choices, one or two meals at a time. Primary nutrition and Food First are not rocket science! That’s why our message is perfect for millions of people.

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