Those food pyramids!

The 1994 food pyramid had you eating mostly starchy food: 6 to 11 servings of “bread, cereal, rice and pasta.” 

In adhering to the high-carbohydrate, low-fat recommendations, we increased our yearly consumption of grain by almost sixty pounds per person and our consumption of sweeteners, such as high-fructose corn syrup, by thirty pounds per person. The number of young people under the age of 20 with Type 2 diabetes grew by 95% from 2001 to 2017. A third of all people over 65 are diabetic. (Carbohydrates spike blood sugar.)

The 2011 food guide, below, reduced the grains to 30 percent of our diets, but also included the phrase "switch to 1% or skim milk."

Rigorous research has concluded that saturated fats, such as the butter fat in milk, have no effect on “major cardiovascular outcomes,” including heart attacks, strokes or mortality. As the American College of Cardiology states, "The recommendation to limit dietary saturated fatty acid intake has persisted despite mounting evidence to the contrary." (I don't believe in limiting saturated fats.)

I’m no fan of JFK, Jr., but the new pyramid (below) makes more sense to me, although it still limits saturated fat to about 20-22 grams for a 2,000-calorie diet. This limit is nearly impossible to achieve, especially if you’re eating red meat. 

Looking at these vacillating recommendations over the years, you might be thinking, what the heck?! Like me, you can just ignore them, especially considering that members of the guidelines panels have ties to food industries. The problem is that schools, military personnel, and others who receive food through federal programs are required by law to follow the guidelines. Poor them.

For an introduction to this blog, see I Just Say No; for a list of blog topics, click the Topics tab.