Health Alert 249
Dear Subscriber:
As a nation we are getting fatter. It’s true for young children who are too fat to run, large teenagers who suffer from low-esteem, and the overweight adult who constantly struggles to lose weight and lower cholesterol. We are fighting a battle against fat. And we’re losing.
And the one chance in the last five years that the government had to step in and really make life altering recommendations has come and gone again without any major changes. Even while the nation as a whole is clamoring for it.
I’m talking about the recent recommended revisions to the USDA’s and Health and Human Services Department’s (HHSD) Food Pyramid. As fat and unhealthy as people have become, the government hasn’t significantly changed the nutrition guide. Today, I’ll share the reasons why you won’t see the Food Pyramid change anytime soon. Even if the health of our nation is on the line.
Don’t Let the Finger-Pointing Distract You
There’s A Hidden Agenda Behind the USDA’s Food Pyramid
The Food Pyramid is a failure. The growing number of obese children is just one indication of that. Yet while the panel reviewing the recommendations acknowledges that there are some links between weight gain and the current allowances on the Food Pyramid (sugar in particular), they stop short of making any overt recommendations.1
In fact the only new recommendation that came out of this committee was some non-controversial language recommending Americans “choose their fats and carbohydrates (read sugars, grains, breads, and cereals) wisely.”1
Instead of making straightforward, healthful statements, they say social changes must take place to change the face of our ever increasing waistlines.1 For instance, they cite our dependence on a “super-sized” lifestyle as the biggest contributing factor of obesity.
Yet even as the committee makes its statement, evidence points to a more insidious culprit – the overwhelming prevalence of carbohydrates in our diet. Consider this. The Food Pyramid suggests 6-11 servings of grains, breads, and cereals every day.
Not only are these foods bland and tasteless in their natural form, they’re high in carbohydrates and sugar. And there’s no way to pack on the pounds faster than to eat lots of carbs.
So why would the committee responsible for giving us direction on changing the face of obesity in America continue to advocate a diet high in carbs and low in protein – especially with the recent successes of the Adkins and other high protein agrarian diets.
That’s where things get interesting. So let’s do what so many suggest – let’s follow the money…
We can start with the committee whose job it is to direct us in our health. Interestingly enough, seven out of the 13 members have direct ties to the Food Industry. When this was first discovered, consumer watch groups cried in outrage. Yet the members remained.
Now the Food Industry may seem like an innocuous entity in this scheme, but think about it. Who advertises the Food Pyramid more than anyone else? Where do you see it the most? Yep, on cereal boxes, loaves of bread, even pasta. They pass it off as public awareness – but imagine what all of these companies would do if cereals, grains, and breads were relegated to the top. Would they still advertise the Food Pyramid?
Of course they wouldn’t. And think of the money they stand to loose if the Food Pyramid was changed to reflect what we now know to be true – that grains, breads, and cereals should be relegated to the top with only one serving or less a day.2
So now we’re to the very last link in this chain – the group responsible for the committee. the USDA. And what is their main job? It’s not to provide nutritious food for Americans. It’s not even to create the Food Pyramid. No, their main job… what they hold as their core responsibility… is the job of marketing and promoting US agricultural products. That’s right – grains, cereals, breads and in a way the U.S. Food Industry.
You just have to follow the money to realize why the Food Pyramid won’t be changed radically in the near future.
Revolution and Social Change Can Start With You
Luckily, you know the truth. The true source of nutrition, health, and energy starts with a diet heavy in protein and low in carbohydrates (sugars and grains). And you don’t have to rely on the USDA’s special committee or the Food Industry to tell you what’s good for you. Your body knows – you just have to listen.
When you give up all that fat-packing food, you’ll notice a huge difference in your health, in your energy, and in your ability to maintain or lose weight. The mental fog will also be gone. You just have to take the first step toward “social change.” You may even face your own inner revolution.
To Your Good Health,
Al Sears MD
Sources:
1. Proposed U.S. Dietary Guidelines Stops Short of Urging Less Sugar by Randy Fabi. Reuters. August 27, 2004.
2. Sears Al, MD. The Doctor’s Heart Cure. Dragon Door Publishing: Minnesota. 2003.