Ladies, Gentlemen...and Children of All Ages...

[Guest guest]

" HSI - Jenny Thompson " <HSIResearch

 

HSI e-Alert - Ladies, Gentlemen...and Children of All Ages...

Tue, 26 Apr 2005 06:59:00 -0400

 

 

 

HSI e-Alert - Ladies, Gentlemen...and Children of All Ages...

 

Health Sciences Institute e-Alert

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April 26, 2005

 

 

Dear Reader,

 

The USDA has torn down its pyramid. In its place they've pitched a

circus tent.

 

Last January I told you about the revised USDA dietary guidelines. At

that time there was speculation that the familiar food pyramid would

soon be retired for a new graphic image that would more clearly convey

the primary elements of good nutrition.

 

Now it's official. The pyramid image has been transformed from the

suggestion of an Egyptian pyramid to a more colorful pyramid (more

like a triangle, actually) with brightly colored vertical sections,

each section representing a different food group. The image includes a

flight of steps along the left side of the triangle, with a stick

figure climbing the steps. This is supposed to remind us to exercise.

 

If you ignore the steps and the climbing figure, the new image looks

like a circus tent. Which is appropriate because the information

that's highlighted by these colorful stripes is reminiscent of a

lion-taming act in a second-rate circus: It appears that something

special is going on, but when you take a close look, it's just a few

lethargic cats jumping through familiar old hoops.

 

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Pyramid alley

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As you've probably heard by now, the new " pyramid " is actually a dozen

pyramids. Way to keep it simple, guys!

 

When you go to MyPyramid.gov, you'll find a single pyramid whose

colored sections are sized to indicate the recommended proportions of

foods to eat from each group. But instead of providing an image that

neatly pulls together a few key dietary guidelines, the new pyramid

just confuses what the old pyramid was actually pretty clear on.

 

And then there's your own personal pyramid.

 

To access your MyPyramid you're asked to enter your age, gender and an

approximation of how much moderate or vigorous physical activity you

get in an average day. Hit the submit button and presto - you'll be

routed to one of the 12 pyramid variations that best suits your needs.

 

This is obviously an attempt to get away from a generic pyramid. " One

size doesn't fit all, " the web site notes on the home page. Agreed.

But while this idea of a personalized pyramid may be useful for some,

I think most people will find it distracting if they even pursue it at

all.

 

Note to USDA: You'll reach more people if you just put a clearly drawn

pyramid on a bread package and offer sound general advice in the

simplest terms. C'mon, it's not rocket science: Eat more whole foods,

the fresher the better. Avoid highly processed foods and added sugars.

Don't overeat. Stay physically active. Boom. You're done.

 

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Some things never change

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But even if the USDA experts had kept it simple, that doesn't mean

they would get it right. On MyPyramid.gov, the dietary guidelines

promise " science-based advice. " That makes it sound like the last

word; no questions asked. But one dietician's science is another

dietician's hooey.

 

In the e-Alert " Eat Like an Egyptian " (1/25/05), I went into some

detail about the revised dietary recommendations. (You can find that

e-Alert in the e-Alert archives on our web site at hsibaltimore.com.)

So today I'll just recap a few key points where the science is

questionable.

 

The new guidelines suggest that half of your grain intake should be

whole grains. Given that the grain portion of the pyramid is, once

again, the largest slice of the pyramid, the recommendations are

basically giving the OK to shove down refined grain products every day

- not a good idea for most people unless they want to stay on the fast

track to obesity and type 2 diabetes. (And I can't ignore that this

guideline just happens to appear at the same time as a recently

introduced new form of " whole " grain. General Mills has made a big

deal out of converting all their cereals from processed flour to this

unique whole grain. Whether it's actually anywhere close to TRUE whole

grain is another matter. See the e-Alert " Trix or Treats " 10/12/04.)

 

As with previous USDA recommendations, this revision repeatedly warns

against fat intake. You have to wonder if the mainstream will ever

drop or even modify this low-fat mania and recognize that the intake

of certain fats is essential to every diet. If only they would stop

sending the message that fats make you fat.

 

But my favorite concept of the new guidelines is discretionary

calories. The guidelines rightly advise us to avoid foods and

beverages with added sugar. But as soon as the guidelines take these

things away, they give them right back again. Here's how: After you've

found your own personal pyramid from the dozen that are offered, and

after you've consumed the proper amounts of grains, vegetables,

fruits, meats, etc., you may have not yet reached your targeted total

calorie intake for the day. In that case, you can do whatever you want

with the balance of the calories. They're like caloric mad money to

squander as you please on sugared foods and even the dreaded fats.

 

So let's say you're a 75-year-old male who gets less than 30 minutes

of moderate physical activity daily. Your MyPyramid informs you that

you're allotted 265 daily discretionary calories. So even though you

may get no exercise at all, according to the USDA revised dietary

guidelines you can enjoy cotton candy and Gummi Bears, guilt free,

every day. And why not? After all, you're already at the circus.

 

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....and another thing

 

How does your hospital measure up?

 

You can find out on a new web site launched earlier this month by the

federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

 

Hospitals that participate in this comparison project have been

offered a higher reimbursement rate for Medicare patients in return

for reporting on data in three categories: heart attack care, heart

failure care and pneumonia care.

 

For each of these categories, specific quality measures have been

singled out. For instance, I gave the database a test drive by

entering the name of a hospital in the area where I live. In the

Pneumonia Care category, I chose this quality measure: " Percent of

Patients Given Blood Cultures Performed Before First Antibiotic Received. "

 

This search quickly produced an easy-to-read graph that showed the

percentage at the specific hospital as well as the national and

statewide average percentages for comparison. Below the graph this

explanation about the quality measure appears: " Different types of

bacteria can cause pneumonia. A blood culture is a test that lets the

health care provider know which bacteria may have caused your

pneumonia, and which antibiotic should be prescribed. "

 

Good to know.

 

As the site develops, HHS officials will add more hospitals and expand

the number of care categories. For the time being the site provides a

quick and easy assessment of the level of care at participating

hospitals. You can find the web site at this URL: hospitalcompare.hhs.gov.

 

To Your Good Health,

 

Jenny Thompson

Health Sciences Institute

 

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Sources:

 

" Steps to a Healthier You " USDA, mypyramid.gov

" Food Pyramid Becomes 12 Pyramids " The Associated Press, 4/19/05, cnn.com

" Critics See New Food Pyramid as Abstract Art " Jim Ritter, Chicago Sun

Times, 4/20/05, suntimes.com

" Web Site Lets Consumers Compare Hospitals " Kevin Freking, The

Associated Press, 4/1/05, washingtonpost.com

 

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