The New Food Pyramid: One Year Later

April 4th, 2006 - Barbara Feiner

One year ago, the U.S. Department of Agriculture unveiled MyPyramid—a replacement for the outdated food pyramid. Organic Authority weighed in on the new eating plan, criticizing its oversimplification and inattention to the difference between conventional and organic food. (Click here to view the article.)

The publishers of the Harvard Heart Letter confirm our reservations, stating “although it redecorated and renamed the old pyramid, the USDA didn’t carry out the necessary changes needed to offer clear information on strategies for healthful eating.”

MyPyramid fails to convey key messages from the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the document the food pyramid is supposed to represent, and it makes some recommendations that aren’t the best nutrition advice. For example, the guidelines recommend cutting back on animal fats, avoiding harmful trans fats, and limiting intake of salt and added sugars. MyPyramid only urges you to “choose wisely” when it comes to fat and carbohydrates.

MyPyramid’s advice on protein also poses problems. Lumping together red meat, poultry, fish and beans as equally healthful protein sources sidesteps the evidence that eating less red meat and more of the other protein sources offers numerous health benefits.

The good news? MyPyramid does stress physical activity. It also uses common measurements like cups and ounces. And it tries to get away from one-size-fits-all recommendations.

When all is said and done, MyPyramid is not an unbiased source of information. It comes solely from the USDA, the government agency that promotes American agriculture. For better advice, consider the Dietary Guidelines for Americans or the Healthy Eating Pyramid created by Harvard’s Dr. Walter Willett and described in his book, Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy.

Tags: diet, food, food pyramind, Health
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Act Now to Protect Your Food!

March 21st, 2006 - Barbara Feiner

As someone who knows the difference between organic food and mainstream fare, you need to get involved in another issue that affects the safety of our food supply: the National Uniformity for Food Act of 2005, which I covered last week.

Grocers and food manufacturers are thrilled that their lobbyists have succeeded in convincing the House of Representatives to pass this bill, which now heads to the Senate for approval. The bill takes the teeth out of legislation that allows states to place warnings about lead, mercury, arsenic, pesticides and other hazards on food labels.

“This legislation is a win-win for consumers and the entire grocery industry,” says Thomas K. Zaucha, president and CEO of the National Grocers Association. “This bill will give the public a single set of consistent food safety regulations based on sound FDA science and will enhance the efficiencies in America’s food distribution system that allow the grocery industry to provide consumers with some of the safest and most affordable food in the world.”

In a word, no.

The Organic Consumers Association is concerned that lawmakers are selling out consumer health for campaign contributions. In the 2006 election cycle, big agribusiness has already given more than $14 million in campaign contributions to members of Congress.

“Despite the food industry’s rhetoric, this bill is a sweeping rollback of decades of state action to protect consumers,” says Susanna Montezemolo, a policy analyst for Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports. “It would reduce food safety protections to the lowest common denominator and make states jump through expensive bureaucratic hoops to enact future food safety protections.”

Chris Waldrop, deputy director of the Food Policy Institute at the Consumer Federation of America, agrees.

“This bill guts existing laws designed to protect consumers and would enact the most sweeping overhaul of food safety laws in decades,” he says. “State action on food safety has led to consumer protections not covered by federal laws, such as the elimination of arsenic in drinking water.”

The bill faces mounting opposition from 39 state attorneys general, the Association of Food and Drug Officials, the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, and numerous consumer and environmental groups.

“We are confident that opposition will only grow as this bill moves to the Senate,” Montezemolo says. “As more Americans learn about the impact of this radical bill, they will demand more—not fewer—protections, and urge the Senate to undo the damage the House did.”

You can also sign the Organic Consumers Association petition by clicking here.

What’s Your Beverage IQ?

March 20th, 2006 - Barbara Feiner

As someone dedicated to healthy eating and organic living, how does your beverage intake compare to the average American’s?

American adults consume an estimated 21% of their daily calories from beverages—twice as much as the 10% recommended by the World Health Organization.

The Beverage Guidance Panel, initiated and led by a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill professor, wants to reverse this trend and help people understand how to choose healthy beverages as part of a balanced nutritional diet. The group has developed the first Healthy Beverage Guidelines, which appear in the March issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

“Many people either forget or don’t realize how many extra calories they consume in what they drink, yet beverages are a major contributor to the alarming increase in obesity,” says Dr. Barry M. Popkin, a professor of nutrition and director of the UNC Interdisciplinary Obesity Program. “The Healthy Beverage Guidelines will show Americans the impact that liquid calories have on their overall diets and help them make responsible beverage choices.”

The group urges people to drink more water and limit or eliminate high-calorie beverages with little or no nutrition value. Panel members have grouped beverages into six categories and recommend a daily consumption range:

Water: At least 4 servings for women, at least 6 servings for men. All beverage needs could come from water, if desired.
Unsweetened Coffee and Tea (Iced and Hot): Up to 8 servings of tea, up to 4 servings of coffee
Nonfat Milk, 1% Fat Milk, Fortified Soy Beverages: Up to 2 servings
Diet Beverages With Sugar Substitutes: Up to 4 servings
100% Fruit and Vegetable Juices, Whole Milk, Sports Drinks: Up to 1 serving (total)
Calorically Sweetened Soft Drinks, Fruit Drinks Without Nutrients: Up to 1 serving, less if trying to lose weight

“Some of these beverages, like nonfat milk, provide essential nutrients,” Dr. Popkin says. “People, especially children and adolescents, should drink the recommended amounts every day.”

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s MyPyramid guidelines for food intake recommend three servings per day of low-fat or fat-free milk, yogurt, cheese or other foods made from milk that retain their calcium content. The one or two servings of low-fat or fat-free milk recommended by the panel also count as one or two servings of milk under the MyPyramid guidelines.

The panel recommends that only between 4 and 8 ounces of fruit juice should be consumed daily. While juice contains important nutrients, it also contains significant calories, the panel reports.

The panel also recommends limiting caffeine intake to 400 mg per day (about 32 oz. of coffee or double that for tea). Tea and coffee represent healthy alternatives to water for those who prefer flavored beverages, Dr. Popkin says.

“The good news is that making healthy beverage choices doesn’t mean giving up taste,” he says.

The New Food Pyramid: One Year Later

Act Now to Protect Your Food!

What’s Your Beverage IQ?

POPULAR NOW

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