The Shocking Truth Behind the Original Food Guide Pyramid

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http://www.mercola.com/2005/jun/11/food_pyramid.htm

 

The Shocking Truth Behind the Original Food Guide Pyramid

 

Can the government be relied on to provide objective, health-promoting

food and nutrition advice, via the new Food Guide Pyramid? According

to nutritionist Luise Light, a former U.S. Department of Agriculture

(USDA) insider and contributing architect of the original version of

the Food Guide Pyramid, most certainly not.

 

With no holds barred, Dr. Light highlights the shocking reality of a

government bowing to industry interests and playing a key role in the

obesity epidemic that now plagues the United States.

 

A Blast From the Past

 

In the early `80s, Dr. Light served as a leader of a group of

top-level nutritionists with the USDA; the team constructed the

original Food Guide Pyramid and based their eating guide on nutrient

recommendations, disease prevention, documented dietary shortfalls and

major health problems of the population.

 

They submitted their final version of the Food Guide to the Secretary

of Agriculture only to be hit with a load of shocking revisions, some

of which included:

 

*

 

Baked goods made with white flour were moved from the peak of

the pyramid -- signifying to eat them sparingly -- to part of the

pyramid's significantly larger base.

*

 

The wording " eat less " was changed to " avoid too much, " giving a

nod to the processed-food industry's interests by not limiting highly

profitable junk foods.

*

 

Lean meats were downplayed, as lobbyists feared consumers would

stay away from high-fat products.

*

 

The meat lobby changed the color of the saturated

fat/cholesterol guideline chart from red to purple, as producers

believed consumers would associate red with bad fat and red meat.

 

In a ditch attempt to save the pyramid, Dr. Light protested the

changes and explained the revised guidelines could lead to an epidemic

of obesity and diabetes. Her lone cries were unheard.

 

Later, Dr. Light discovered the wholesale changes made to the guide

were calculated simply to win the approval of the food industry.

 

Is There any Hope for the New Food Guide Pyramid?

 

Not likely. That's because the food industry molds the nutrition

agenda served to the public by dictating the government's food advice.

What's more, in the eyes of the food industry, the sole purpose of

food guides is to convince consumers that all foods (especially those

being sold by the industry) fit into a healthy diet, explains Dr. Light.

 

And in closing, the former USDA nutritionist states that, to the

government, nutrition has very little to do with our health and

instead is primarily a marketing tool used to fuel consumer spending

on food, and increase demand for major food commodities like meat,

dairy, eggs and wheat.

 

Crusador November 9, 2004

 

Dr. Mercola's Comment:

 

It's taken 20 years to change the fraudulent and seriously conflicted

recommendations of the first food pyramid; recommendations that may

have made a strong contribution to America's current poor state of health.

 

Of course, if you consider that the USDA also gives $15 million to

farmers who grow more corn and soybeans (two of the processed food

industry's most important commodities) and nothing to farmers who

focus on healthier foods like fruits and vegetables, none of this

should come as a surprise.

 

Thankfully, the newest food pyramid does show some improvement over

the first one, though not nearly enough.

 

Considering the influence that the food industry has had in the past,

it's a wonder there were any improvements made at all.

 

Related Articles:

 

Did the Faulty Food Guide Pyramid Make You Obese?

 

US " Food Pyramid " Invalid as It was Made by Experts with Conflicts

of Interest

 

What If It's All Been a Big Fat Lie?