Health Alert 158
I teach nutrition class at a university. All the approved textbooks promote the USDA Food Pyramid. The Food Pyramid is a recipe for weight gain. It encourages 6 to 11 servings of grain-based carbs daily. Unless you are exercising 4 hours a day or have a manual labor job, that many servings of grains will make you fat.
Each time I teach this class I receive a lot of resistance from my students when I tell them that beef and eggs are good for them. They look at me as if I were from Mars.
Today you’ll learn how this nutritional nonsense became and remains so entrenched in our culture. And I’ll give you tips on how to avoid the crumbling pyramid and eat a natural diet that promotes a healthy heart and weight instead.
The Pyramid’s Shaky Integrity
In 1992 the USDA had a brilliant idea. They introduced the American consumer to their Food Pyramid. Psychologically it was the perfect symbol, a pyramid. Pyramids have survived the test of time in Egypt. They lined the base of the Pyramid with grains. Part of the USDA’s responsibilities is to support wages of farmers and price their products. Is it any wonder they are telling us we need to eat all those grains?
The Pyramid reflects the nutrition advice assembled in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.1” This legally driven document is revised every 5 years. Unfortunately this 13-member panel lost its integrity. Intense lobbying from the National Dairy Council, the Soft Drink Association, the American Meat Institute, and the Wheat Foods Council influenced the selection process.2
Dietary Myths Prevail in Academia
Along with promoting the Pyramid, current nutrition textbooks promote the following advice:
- Eat low-fat.
- Vegetarianism is better.
- Avoid red meat.
- Limit egg consumption.
- Eat low cholesterol foods.
- This is all bad advice.
Low Fat
This is just bad science. Dietary fat and body fat are two separate things. Your body, particularly your brain needs fat. There are good fats and bad fats. You want to maximize your intake of omega-3s (good) over omega-6s (bad) fat.
You want to avoid trans fats. Trans fats are in your recommended low-fat foods like crackers, cereals, and bread. They are also in margarine and fried foods. My current nutrition text reads that trans fats are “controversial” as if we just don’t know if they are bad for you.
This man-made nightmare clogs arteries, causes inflammation, interferes with brain function and alters cell membranes like no naturally occurring dietary fat can. A cup of lard would be healthier.
Remember you need fat to function. Choose mostly omega 3 sources such as olive oil, avocados, olives, nuts and eggs. Eat a moderate amount of saturated fat by choosing lean cuts of mean and organic dairy products.
Vegetarianism
This is a short-term solution with devastating long term health consequences. Eventually you will feel weakened and fatigued. You will likely get brittle nails and dull hair with anemic from a lack of iron and B vitamins.
If you choose vegetarianism because you love animals and don’t want to eat them, make sure you support your diet with vitamins and plant-based sources of protein. But don’t choose it because some textbook said it is healthier for you. That just isn’t true.
Cut Out Red Meat
Beef is the best source of protein, outside of eggs, available to you, particularly grass fed beef. It has an ideal omega 6:3 ratio of 3:1. Remember omega-3s are the brain and heart healthy fat you need.
It is also a rich source of CLA (Conjugated Lineoleic Acid). CLA is a potent cancer fighting substance in our diet. It also increases your metabolic rate, enhances lean muscle tissue growth, and lowers cholesterol and triglycerides.3
Don’t listen to the nay-sayers. Beef is good for you.
Egg Are Bad for You
This was an American Heart Association recommendation for years. In recent years the egg has been redeemed as new evidence showed that the cholesterol in eggs does not have a significant impact on blood cholesterol.
Eggs may be the only 100% complete food. They have all the vitamins and minerals you need. They are the only protein source with a quality rating of 100 because they have every amino acid you need in exactly the ratios you need. Eggs are the highest quality protein you can eat. Period.
Low Cholesterol Foods
This is another example of bad science. Dietary cholesterol and blood cholesterol have very little to do with one another. Just like how dietary fat and body fat differ.
A diet heavy in grains and processed foods will raise your blood cholesterol levels much more than the dietary cholesterol. And the only way to improve your “Good” or HDL cholesterol is through exercise. A diet low in cholesterol will do you little if anything health wise.
Eat a Natural Diet
Think back before the onset of Agriculture, what our ancestors ate. They ate wild game, fish, berries, plants, and nuts. If a food doesn’t have to be processed, it is probably good for you.
You want to make sure you eat a quality source of protein with every meal.
Fill your plate with low glycemic veggies and fruits
Limit anything made from grains
Don’t be fooled by academia and federal mandates. They are all subject to the pressure of big lobbying. None of them care what is actually good for your health. Not if it cuts into their bottom line.
To Your Good Health,
Al Sears, MD
1. Willet, Walter. “Building a Better Pyramid: Healthy Eating Pyramid” Excerpted from Eat, Drink, and be Healthy. Simon & Simon, New York, 2001.