The iconic food pyramid has provided people with nutritional recommendations for a healthy and long life – supposedly. But how reliable is it really, based on what we know today about nutrition?
Sweden is where the first food pyramid was developed by nutritional expert Dr. Luise Light in the 1970s.
Street demonstrations against the high cost of food prompted the government to form a committee to examine if a balanced diet could be prepared at a reasonable cost.
The USDA first made it available to the public in 1992.
1. Bad Combo:
The food pyramid was created by corporate lobbyists in 1970s. It has been promoted by the US government and even the UN since then.
If you get 65% of your calories from carbs and/or eat 6-11 servings of carbs every day… you are bound to get diabetes pic.twitter.com/KM5lYEm6kh
— S.L. Kanthan (@Kanthan2030) February 13, 2023
The food pyramid served as a simplified visual of food groups and provided dietary recommendations for optimal health.
Refined grains like rice, pasta and bread were stacked at the very bottom and it was advised that people eat 6 to 11 servings of these each day.
Following that were fruit and vegetable servings, at 2 to 4 and 3 to 5 servings, respectively.
After that, it was suggested that people consume 2 to 3 servings of dairy, followed by 2 to 3 servings of protein like eggs, meat, beans, and nuts.
Finally, the last tier at the top included fats and oils.
The main idea of it was that people got the most amount of nutritious content at the lowest price possible. Therefore, a substantial portion of the diet was composed of carbs.
But now that more is known about how carbohydrates affect weight and health, as well as the advantages of healthy fats, it appears that the food business may have been a little misleading.
We now understand that meals featuring fats are not always “bad” for you. In actuality, “low-fat” meals have been shown to cause more issues than they solve.
Low fat meals frequently contained chemicals, salt, and sugar, which are definitely bad for our health. Chronic illness, weight gain, and threats to your heart’s health were a few of the negative effects.
Not to mention the increase in type 2 diabetes cases that happened as a result of excessively consuming carbs.
Dietitian Susan Bowerman mentioned that the “grain” category at the bottom of the pyramid was affected by lobbyists working in that industry.
In fact, many contend that the food industry at large deceived us in order to maximize the revenues of big corporations.
The 5 to 9 portions of fruit and vegetables that are advised were cut to only 2 to 3.
The 5 recommended servings of grains per day were increased to 11 by cereal manufacturers.
Although there was no suggestion for dairy products, they were still included for the benefit of the industry.
Luise Light, who was part of the pyramid’s creation agreed, saying that “The type of grains the pyramid suggested was also a problem. The pyramid did not emphasize whole grains and so in some ways encouraged the intake of refined grains.”
The lack of recommendations on serving sizes for each food group was another issue with the food pyramid.
Apparently, a guide explaining how to properly estimate a portion size was included with the original food pyramid but most people were not even aware that there was such a leaflet.
Recognizing that the original pyramid hadn’t reduced heart disease, obesity, or diabetes brought about the need to make adjustments.
The USDA updated the dietary recommendations to the MyPlate model in 2011 under the direction of First Lady Michelle Obama.
Now, we know vegetables may be consumed in large quantities separate from fruit.
The new pyramid even permits multivitamins and moderate alcohol use for individuals who qualify.
