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Government's food pyramid guide is due for an overhaulPatricia CorriganPost-Dispatch10/05/2003

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The pyramids on the Giza Plain in Egypt - the only wonders of the ancient world still standing - have survived some 5,000 years, enduring such indignities as grave robbers, rock climbers (the record is seven minutes to the top) and fast-food restaurants across the street that offer diners an unobstructed view. Our government's Food Guide Pyramid, on the other hand, has come under fire almost since its introduction in 1992. You know this pyramid - it replaced the old chart depicting the four basic food groups. Developed by the Department of Agriculture, the Food Guide Pyramid suggests optimal daily servings of bread, cereal, rice, pasta, fruit, vegetables, meat, dairy products, fat, oil and sweets. The recommendations are based on dietary guidelines drawn up by the USDA and the Department of Health and

Human Services. The guidelines, first published in 1980, are revised every five years. Revision of the current guidelines, released in 2000, is already under way, and eventually the new guidelines will be reflected in an updated Food Guide Pyramid. "This update is a normal part of a review," said Roberta Duyff, a registered dietitian here and author of the "American Dietetic Association Complete Food and Nutrition Guide, 2nd Edition" (John Wiley & Sons, $45). "As with any tool, it is important to look at it again to see if it is communicating and if it reflects healthy eating based on science," said Duyff. "The Food Guide Pyramid looks simple, but what's under it is careful scrutiny of the nutritional needs of the overall public, and that takes time." In the past, the pyramid has not specified what constitutes a "serving." Duyff said she believes the issue will be addressed in the future. "The revised message will communicate healthy

eating better than it has in the past," said Duyff. "There may be a perception that what we've all been hearing has driven the USDA to do this, but that is not necessarily so." What we've all been hearing, of course, is that though the pyramid may be appropriate for healthy people, it fails to take into consideration that more than 60 percent of Americans are overweight and don't exercise regularly. An alternative plan Other criticisms have been levied as well. In an interview published on the Harvard School of Public Health's Web site (www.hsph.harvard.edu), Walter Willett recently described the food pyramid as "tremendously flawed." Elaborating, he said, "It says all fats are bad; all complex carbohydrates are good; all protein sources offer the same nutrition; and dairy should be eaten in high amounts. None of this is accurate." Willett, chairman of the Department of Nutrition at Harvard University, also is the author of "Eat, Drink, and Be

Healthy: The Harvard Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating" (Simon & Schuster, $25). In the interview, Willett said that though the USDA's dietary guidelines have changed over the years "to include more current information," the food pyramid has not been adequately revised. Willett added that he is uncertain whether the USDA could make the necessary revisions "without being influenced by meat and dairy lobbying groups." In his book, Willett calls for more fat in the diet, a position that is contrary to that of the USDA. "Not all fats are bad," he said in the interview. "In fact, some should be required in any diet. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats found in foods such as nuts, avocados, fish, olives and most oils help lower 'bad' cholesterol levels without affecting 'good' cholesterol levels." The Mediterranean influence Olive oil rates its own block and nuts, beans and legumes share a block in the middle of the

Mediterranean Diet Pyramid devised by the Oldways Preservation & Exchange Trust, a nonprofit "food issues" think tank founded in 1990 and located in Boston. Basically, this pyramid recommends eating meat a few times a month; sweets, eggs, poultry and fish a few times a week; and cheese, yogurt, olive oil, fruits, beans, legumes, nuts, vegetables, bread, pasta, rice, couscous, polenta, bulgur and other whole grains and potatoes daily. Also recommended are six glasses of water per day and wine in moderation. "Back in 1990, when we opened our doors, we thought that the government's low-fat position was foolish," said K. Dun Gifford, founder and president of Oldways (www.oldwayspt.org). "We didn't think it would work, and we thought it would make people obese." Speaking from his office in Boston, Gifford added: "A feeling of satiety comes from eating fat, and if we don't have it, we won't stop eating. Knowing that, we looked for healthy eating patterns that

had worked, and all the studies as far back as the 1950s indicated that a Mediterranean diet promoted long-term health." Oldways - literally named in homage to old ways of eating, the traditional food patterns - introduced its Mediterranean Diet Pyramid in 1993. Four years later, the government acknowledged that the combination of foods was as nutritionally sound as the USDA's Food Guide Pyramid. "This was a huge concession," said Gifford. "We'd had many meetings with the government, and taken in 500 or more studies. It kind of blew them away - but bless them for acknowledging this." Gifford's next moral victory came in 2000, when the government's dietary guidelines were changed from eating a diet low in fat to eating a diet moderate in fat. "We were taken aback, as we're five or six or eight people," said Gifford. Then, with pleasure apparent in his voice, this delightfully mixed metaphor: "Still, we have an army of nutrition scientists, and we carried the

ball." The next battle - or ballgame, as you choose - for Oldways is trying to persuade the government to issue new dietary guidelines before revising the Food Guide Pyramid. "The guidelines are due in 2005, and we believe the guidelines should come first and the pyramid should follow," said Gifford. "Otherwise, the government is doing the pyramid on old science instead of the best data. At Oldways, our pyramids are based on solid science and traditional eating, but they also are subject to change when science gets to a new place of understanding." Oldways also has developed dietary pyramids based on eating patterns in Asian and Latin American cultures, as well as one for vegetarians. These pyramids, all devised by scientists, recommend proportions of food, rather than provide numbers of servings. Also, at the base of each pyramid is a reminder to exercise daily. Other cultures Many countries are at a "place of understanding" regarding

nutrition and public health, and some countries even use pyramid-shaped guides to educate citizens. Duyff, the registered dietitian, noted that in Guatemala, a pyramid symbolizes death, so the nutritional guidelines are displayed in the shape of a bean pod. Canada uses a rainbow, South Korea uses a pagoda and the Philippines uses a six-pointed star. There are other differences, as well, said Duyff. Zimbabwe includes insects as a food group. In Panama, the national food guide encourages mothers of infants to breast-feed their babies for six months. In Japan, some 30 different foods are recommended daily, which is not so difficult when you consider some of the multilayered dishes popular in that country. "Some countries even remind people to savor the flavor of food," said Duyff. "And the pagoda used in Korea, in addition to suggesting certain foods, promotes harmony in daily life." That's an appropriate digestive aid, no matter where you live or what you eat.

Reporter Patricia Corrigan E-mail: pcorrigan

 

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