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
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