I'm sure you all were waiting like me, with baited breath, for the unveiling of the Obama Administration's make-over of the Food Pyramid that has mystified doctors, nutritionists, 6th graders, and the general public for over 30 years. 

 

Finally! Something that makes sense!  The USDA (US Dept of Agriculture) has replaced the confusing pyramid with a simple round plate, dividing it up to show us what the portions should look like for better health:

ONE HALF of the plate is vegetables and fruits, one quarter is grains, one quarter is protein.  Off to the side is a small plate showing a glass of milk.

 

A good start, but not good enough, really. 

 

Why is that?  At least it makes sense and you sure don't see room for a hamburger, fries and a coke on that diagram...

Baby steps in the right direction are better than no guidance at all for the general public.

 

Here's the problem:  The USDA has a rather schizophrenic job.

 

On the one hand it is the marketing arm for US grown staples (corn, wheat, soy, sugar -  think HFCS from corn) that are government subsidized. Their task is to find new and greater marketplaces for these products - in our country and around the world.  And of course, everyone knows it is these very products that have led to the obesity epidemic as they are the basis of all fast food and junk food products.  (if you happen to read labels on packaged foods they all start with the refined versions of these 4 things and these same grains are the dietary basis for stockyard-raised animals.  Animals were not designed to eat grains.  They are designed for grass-grazing.  Grains makes them fat (that's the point), and unhealthy.  Their digestive systems are wrecked and they must be fed antibiotics to keep them alive.  It's not only cruel, it's unhealthy for humans to eat such meat. (Grass-fed meat is now available nearly everywhere and on-line as well)

 

The second job of the USDA is to offer nutritional guidelines to the general public.  Suggestions to keep us healthy. 

Hmmmm. 

A little conflict of interest here?  Guidelines to keep us healthy would have to suggest that people not participate in the subsidization of these agri-business farmers by buying their products.  (all-things-flour-based and made with the oils from soy, corn, and the like)   We do vote with our forks.

 

We can wait for hell to freeze over for that to happen.

 

The problem in a nutshell is this:  Our new government recommendations are plainly at odds with its existing agricultural policies.  Tax-payer funded subsidies for corn and soy and wheat products are as high as ever while small organic farms receive no financial help from the gvm't at all.  High quality foods remain high-cost while nutrient void junk foods are very affordable.  As I once heard from a news commentator:  "Rich farmers produce junk food for the poor while poor farmers grow healthy foods for the rich."

 

So the subtle MyPlate is a good start.  People must surmise that this dinner plate that is half veggies and fruit doesn't look much like a drive-through meal or a TV dinner, whatever name they go by these days...

 

The Mary Robinson MyPlate?

It is 3/4 veggies, and the other quarter of the plate some form of animal or vegetable protein, using beans and other legumes, and quinoa (a seed, therefore a plant not a grain), to round out the plate.  Olive oil on the raw salad and cooked veg, avocado as part of the fat/protein portion, and so on.  Off to the side, on the small plate would be fruit, for dessert, later on, after the protein has moved from the stomach. (this will prevent fermentation and the inevitable gas that follows)   No glass of milk.  For we all know that milk does a body no good.  It is a scientific fact that the calcium in milk is poorly absorbed. (something the Dairy industry has conveniently ignored)  Calcium from plants, on the other hand, is highly absorbed.  Small amounts of some cheeses, like mozarella and goat cheese, organic whole-fat plain yogurt, are easy enough to digest for some people.  But not the sugary or fake-sugary stuff in an ice cream cone.

 

But, hey, don't look a gift horse in the mouth.  (Just feed it grass and an occasional carrot for good behavior:-)

 

A nutritionist's advice:  Do what you can every day to increase the percentage of food on your plate to a much higher ratio of plant foods, as many as possible raw, and just leave grains alone entirely.  Grains were only introduced to the human diet about 10,000 years ago and that heraded the beginning of intestinal issues that have culminated in a near universal sensitivity to gluten.  The "bread of life" kept people from starvation, true, but at an enormous price. 

 

Gluten free, milk free populations are much healthier.  Think Japan and China before we expanded our markets of the aforementioned products that have now given those nations the same health issues we have:  obesity, cancer, heart disease, diabetes. (Read The China Study  - or - go see the movie "Forks over Knives" to fully appreciate the accumulation of scientific evidence for a plant-based diet).

 

Eat, drink (lots and lots of water!) and be merry.  Food should be fun and beautiful and colorful and a total pleasure - a pleasure that we take the time to enjoy with our families.  Not something we chow down while on the freeway between too many events. 

 

If you're ever stuck in that situation, don't forget your "deep belly breathing"!