The New Food Pyramid: Another Attempt At Providing Easy Answers

The Food Pyramid, first introduced to the US in 1992, just experienced a major overhaul. Why? Perhaps proper education about nutrition isn't as easy as picking out food from a colorful chart. Last month, The New England Journal of Medicine reported that childhood obesity was causing a retreat in average lifespan. That report seems to only cover part of the picture as chronic disease, such as cardiac dysfunction and Type II Diabetes have been on a steady rise in recent years. Because many people seem to be unwilling to learn how to make better lifestyle choices, it is only the toxic pharmaceutical drugs that seem to be extending the lives of these people.

Agriculture secretary Mike Johanns described the old food pyramid as being "quite familiar" to most Americans, "but few Americans follow the recommendations." The solution, found at www.mypyramid.gov, is apparently more colors and to make the bands travel downwards instead of horizontally. Yes, that counts as a solution where french fries and catsup count as two servings of vegetables in the school lunch program.

Well, some progress is better than no progress. On a positive note, the new dietary guidelines do recommend daily physical activity. If even a few people get out of their chairs because their government tells them too, these changes, and the expense of the marketing for all of this will be well-worth our tax dollars.

What is left out of these dietary guidelines is any source of education on timing of food intake. For example, how many of you are late-night eaters? Perhaps you have a bowl of cereal before bed? What do the cells do with all the extra starch and glucose as you sleep? The answer is they store it in the fat cells. If you think of a caveman, or woodland creature, bulking up before hibernation, you get the picture.

A better diet doesn't have to be entirely about sacrifice. It's more about better decisions. I'm not saying to stop eating ice cream. Consider some Wheat Germ or Grape Nuts as a toping. Both are excellent sources of dietary fiber and essential nutrients like Vitamin E, folate (folic acid), phosphorous, thiamin, zinc and magnesium. You get to have a tasty snack and sneak some nutrition through the teeth. Just don't eat it as a midnight snack!

Dave Saunders is a certified nutritional educator, wellness coach, member of the American International Association of Nutritional Education (AIANE) and author. He is also the host of a weekly, nation-wide telephone lecture on health and nutrition. For additional information, please visit http://www.glycoboy.com or http://www.glycowellness.com or email Dave at dave@glycoboy.com

In The News:

Experts have revealed details of the mysterious 8,000-year-old rock carvings found in the world’s largest asteroid crater.

If you thought a giant octopus clutching you with its eight arms was the stuff of nightmares, think again.

Whether you're a dog owner or not, you've likely looked into a dog's eyes and been bewitched by the sheer cuteness.

During the last ice age, bone-crushing hyenas stalked the snowy Canadian Arctic, likely satisfying their meat cravings by hunting herds of caribou and horses, while also scavenging mammoth carcasses on the tundra, a new study finds.

When you drop your plastic waste into the recycling bin, it most likely makes its way around the world, where it can pose a health and security risk to developing countries, according to a new Guardian report .

Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins has revealed a previously unseen photo of the famous Moon landing crewmembers that he “found at the bottom of a box.”

Four German warships that were used and sank during World War One are being put up for sale on the auction website and could fetch $1 million or more.

Danish meteorologist Steffen Olsen and his band of sled dogs are walking on thin ice — across a frozen sea that has become flooded with melted glacial waters.

NASA released the closest shot of the near-Earth asteroid 101955 Bennu this week.

NASA is upping the ante as it continues its search for alien planets and may wind up using a starshade in one of its upcoming missions.

The New Food Pyramid: Another Attempt At Providing Easy Answers

Nutrition Nutrition