Proposals for the New Food Guide Pyramid - please forward

[Guest guest]

Dear Friends,

 

The USDA is accepting proposals for a new Food Guide Pyramid. The

deadline is this Friday. Emails are not accepted, please write a

letter to the address below, and let them know that we want to get

the truth this time around. You can write your own letter, or mail

them the one below.

 

 

Food Guide Pyramid Reassessment Team

USDA Center for Nutrition Policy & Promotion

3101 Park Center Drive, Room 1034

Alexandria, VA 22302

 

 

Jackie Graff

1085 Lake Charles Drive

Roswell, GA

Ph: 770-992-9218

Email: gideongraff

Web: www.sproutrawfood.org

 

By Jackie Graff, R.N., B.S.N.

 

The present food pyramid along with high powered advertising are part

of the reason we are the fattest and most unhealthy we have ever been

in this country. Immigrants from other countries who adopt our way of

eating become overweight and get many diseases not common in their

countries. The change is long overdue. People are getting diseases in

their youth that they used to get as they aged. I see this in my work

as a nurse.

 

The American public should know the truth. We do not need just a few

tweaks to the present pyramid. We do not need small changes that

allow manufacturers to spin new products and consumers to gradually

change their diets. The public needs guidance for changes NOW! The

U.S.D.A. needs to get it right this time, our lives are depending on

honest information. Individuals can make their own choices- just give

us the truth. Enough studies are out there that prove the following

proposed guidelines.

 

The TRUTH is needed- some will follow and some will not. We cannot

change everyone. Some will eat what they want with no consideration

of their health. People that want to improve are confused and need

guidance, they need the truth. There are many diet books out there

that do not work long term, this is why there are so many- because

they do not work. With all of our intelligence and knowledge it is

embarrassing to be the most overfed, overweight, malnourished country

in the world. We have to stop letting the food industry and diet

books, whose interest is dollars, affect the health of our nation.

 

This change in the food pyramid should not be influenced by any

special interest food groups. It should be based on how we should

eat to get the most nutrition out of our food choices. Our most

nutritious foods are whole fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds that do

not come in packages. These contain a large amount of antioxidants,

phytonutrients, omega 3 fatty acids, vitamins and minerals. These

nutrients and antioxidants are protection for plants and will also

protect us from chronic disease.

 

The nutrients we need to get from our food cannot successfully be

obtained from a pill. The nutrients we get from food work

synergistically with each other. To get enough of these nutrients we

need to be eating a lot of fruits and vegetables.

 

The Following Pyramid Is Proposed

 

The base should be the maintenance of energy, having an exercise

program and controlling calories and weight.

 

The next level should be a variety of organic healthy whole

carbohydrates such as fruit and vegetables having color: green,

yellow, orange, red, blue, purple, with a large portion of this

uncooked to preserve the nutrients.

 

The next level should be whole grains and starchy vegetables.

 

The next level should be legumes, beans, peas, sprouted nuts and

seeds.

 

The next level should be limited amounts of fats from fruits,

vegetable, nut and seed sources. With no more than 20-30% of our

calories coming from these healthy fats.

 

6. A strong notation should be made on the pyramid of foods that

should

be eaten rarely and eventually eliminated completely from the diet.

These should be: salt ( no more than 1000 mg /day or less), sugar,

high fructose corn syrup, and other processed sugars, refined

grains, trans-fatty acids, and saturated fat (all animal products

have saturated fat). All of these foods need to be eliminated

completely from the diet, not cut in half as proposed by the USDA.

 

7. What professional in the health and nutrition field is telling us

that we are deficient in saturated fat, sugar, refined grains, or

trans-fats and need to get them into our diet? These foods cause

inflammation and can lead to many of the chronic diseases that plague

our society. If these unhealthy foods are eaten then there would not

be enough calories left for the fruits and vegetables containing a

large amount of antioxidants, phytonutrients, vitamins and minerals

which can keep the body healthy.

 

8. If enough of the levels two through five are eaten to maintain

energy and a healthy weight there will be more than adequate protein,

folate, calcium, omega 3 fatty acids, and other nutrients in the

diet. (refer to the WHO's recommendations for protein needs). Animal

protein and fat are not necessary for a healthy diet.

 

9. A plant based vegan diet with a healthy variety of uncooked fruit,

vegetable, nuts, and seeds is the healthiest way to eat.