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As the Chicago Tribune reports, "the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend we eat 2 1/2 cups of vegetables and 2 cups of fruit a day. But according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only about 14 percent of adults are even coming close."
Whether or not the public chooses to abide or evade the guidelines, they will likely have a long-term effect on what we deem healthy, and will directly affect what will be served in federally funded operations. "Schools who get federal money and prisons are supposed to be following [these guidelines] for their menus," Weston Price Foundation President Sally Fallon, who advocates for whole and raw pastured animal fat (that is, milk and cheese), told the Tribune.
High on the CNPP's "kill" list is trans fat, followed by salt, sugar and processed foods -- the latter uses high amounts of the former ingredients to prolong shelf-life and mask bland flavors. "The report also highlighted the importance of vitamin D, calcium, potassium and dietary fiber, and it recommends eating 8 ounces of seafood a week," the Tribune reports. But there's industry concern as to which seafood should be consumed -- many large fish, such as swordfish and tuna, can have higher levels of mercury, which can be toxic to young or unborn children. And where is the acknowledgment of sustainable seafood?
In 2004, the CNPP joined with the FDA and the EPA to better evaluate food and environmental safety. This year, they're also working with the Department of Health and Human Services to improve physical education and other nutrition arenas unrelated to food, the Tribune notes.
The full report of proposed recommendations, as well as meeting transcripts, are available on cnpp.usda.gov. While the CNPP is required to review their guidelines every five years, they're not necessarily required to change them unless advisable according to current science findings and public dietary behavior. Given the country's growing initiative for child health, including Mrs. Obama's strong Let's Move! campaign, we'd say the bet for amendment is pretty safe. But whether it rids our restaurant and home kitchens of salt shakers...well, that's still open for debate.
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7-22-2010 @3:15PM Michael Schmitt said... To answer your question: the majority of American's WON'T follow the guidelines. I applaud our government for trying to standardize what American's should eat, but our government continues to come up with ways to combat obesity in our population (Nutrition Labeling and Nutrition Act, school lunch programs, etc.) and Americans just keep getting bigger.
While I can't advocate NOT doing anything, I am hoping that we are looking to studies and other countries to see how their populations are maintaining population weights.
It is interesting to live in a country where too much food is killing us off, instead of the lack of food...
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7-22-2010 @4:46PM MaryL said... So now it's come down to a third world virtually vegetarian diet??? I think this is a
politically correct food guide that's being marketed as "good for you". I don't want government food police telling me what to eat.
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7-22-2010 @5:32PM Stephen said... LOL, scared of the big bad veggies and fruits are you?
The truth is, you don't need a lot of meat. You never have. Even under the old food pyramid, it was only 2-3 servings per day and one serving has always been three to five ounces of meat, preferably less and preferably lean. The new pyramid knocks it down to one or two. Oh noes! They're trying to turn us into vegetarians while still suggesting we eat meat! Run for the hills! The sky is falling!
Besides, the government isn't saying you have to eat what this says and they certainly aren't standing behind you, forcing you to abide by it. It's a SUGGESTED dietary guide, developed by a team of dietitians, doctors, and scientists. If you don't want to eat it, you don't have to do it. That's the beauty of America. If you want to gorge on meat, by all means, do so. The government is not going to stop you.
Take off your tinfoil hat. You look ridiculous.
7-23-2010 @12:29PM Jyrrah said... @MaryL
Calm down. As Stephen pointed out these are suggestions. The fact is the vast majority of America doesn’t follow the food pyramid and a new one isn’t going to change that. The big target in the new pyramid is PROCESSED FOODS. They even recommend eating 8 ounces of SEAFOOD (i.e. fish or shellfish which is meat) a week so we’re certainly NOT following a “third world virtually vegetarian diet”.
As for protein the recommended amount for an average adult male is 48-63; 30-50 for an average adult female. Two tablespoons of peanut butter has more protein that a chicken wing. A drumstick has the same amount of protein as a cup of cooked beans. Protein isn’t hard to get. The question should be how do you avoid protein since it's in so many things.
9-12-2010 @11:54PM Kidney Patient said... People's needs for meat and other animal protein vary. Some can and do enjoy eating no animal products at all; others, like me, need more animal protein than the one to two servings a day you say we can get by with because of medical necessity. I'm a dialysis patient, and on frequent dialysis (five days a week); my protein needs can be extreme because dialysis is so good at taking it out of my system. Without an albumin within specific parameters, I am strongly at risk for health downturns of several kinds. I frequently hear the suggestion from dialysis dietitians and nurses that I seek out more protein, and any dialysis dietitian will tell you it has to be animal protein. (I have asked several.)
There are other ways in which the new pyramid is inapplicable to us as well, including its insistence on a large amount of dairy foods, all of which are high in phosphorus. We are greatly restricted in the amount of dairy we are allowed; the half and half in my coffee is my daily dairy allowance and I cannot have more or risk stopping my heart. And any diabetic with knowledge of how to manage her diabetes will justifiably scoff at the emphasis on grain foods, all of which are carbohydrates and all of which act on the body much as sugar does. More is not better here, either.
The only place the pyramid makes any sense for someone like me is in the emphasis on vegetables and whole fruits. Fruits must have their carbohydrate content taken into consideration, but other than that, those two sections are fine. The pyramid needs to be software-based and fully customizable for individuals with specific health needs, not merely within broad guidelines that are applicable only to truly healthy people.
7-22-2010 @6:44PM Minnas said... I certainly hope they do not follow these new guidelines. This is the same old low fat, high carb drivel that made us all fat and sick to begin with. The problem is not fat, it is sugar (in ALL its forms.) Always has been always will be. We are not equipped to eat the massive amounts of grains that we insist on eating either. Nope. They still have it all wrong I'm afraid. The message should be eat meat, a lot of veggies, a little fruit and a little dairy. Eat whole foods, stop this ridiculous fear of fat, and cut out the sugar and high carb stuff. Why is this such a difficult concept? Oh right, the USDA is behind the continuation of this severely flawed doctrine. That's why.
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7-23-2010 @9:07AM Stephen said... I agree. I really don't understand this obsession with carbs. The amount of nutrients in them are minimal and it only contributes to the excessive amount of sugar we ingest. I don't follow the pyramid; I never have and I likely never will. Even in our history, spanning back thousands of years, we've never eaten this much bread. There's a reason people flail over how thin the French are while still eating the stuff we're told is crap.
7-23-2010 @8:48AM LinC said... The majority of American's ignore the Food Pyramid. I certainly do. I actually went to their web site and read the recommendations. They allow 100 "extra" calories a day to use for whole-fat products or sweets. That's less than a single cookie or six potato chips. What is life without an occassional treat? People who already eat this way will pat themselves on the back. Everybody else will shrug and go on with real life.
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7-23-2010 @10:33AM MaryL said... Stephen: Another "beauty" of America is being able to voice an opinion. However, I suppose your
vast intake of fruit and vegetables give you leeway to feel morally superior to some of us with objections, and of course gives you the right to rebuke people in an insulting, nasty manner. You sound like you have all the qualifications needed to become a good apparatchik
By the way, one main reasons why human brains developed over the course of history was due to the inclusion of lots of protein in their diets.
7-23-2010 @4:39PM Stephen said... MaryL, did you happen to notice I made a second comment here that said I don't follow the pyramid, never have, never will, and that I find the French diet (meat, veggies, creams, oils, saturated fats, etc.) to be far superior? Of course you didn't. Again, take off your tinfoil hat. You still look ridiculous.