So today I was listening to some therapy tapes that involve
a certain diet (I know, ironic right? But they were treating the people with
diet therapy to help with their depression) and one of the therapists happened
to mention that the old food pyramid, the one that actually looks like a food pyramid,
was created by the grain companies. So I looked it up, and she was right! I
never knew that. Apparently nutritionists recommended about 3-4 servings of
grain a day and then the lobbyists for the food companies got it to say 6-9
servings a day (or whatever number they put there). That’s just awful!
So then I read up on a whole bunch of blogs claiming that
this disgraceful food pyramid is what’s making American fat.
I have a problem with this. Who actually followed the food
pyramid? When I learned about the food pyramid, I sort of thought “Oh, great.”
And then never thought about it again. It didn’t change the way I ate at all.
In 10th grade, when I was obsessed with getting healthy (the seeds
of my current eating disorder) I never followed the food pyramid. I never
followed ANY food pyramid. And I don’t think there’s any reason to think that
Americans as a whole follow the food pyramid. My family never did and no one I
knew did... I’d wager that Americans still ate more bread than they needed, but
I bet that they ate even more bread than the food pyramid recommended! And they
did this without a thought as to what the food pyramid said.
Of course, the fact remains that America was pushing out the
knowledge that grains were the most important foods to eat. Everyone who knows
what the old pyramid looks like knows that grains are on the bottom, and so
must assume that the government advocates eating more grains than any other
type of food. This could have something to do with America’s weight gain, but
who knows. A lot of things influence obesity.
The current food pyramid is a plate. And while this works
better than the pyramid, it still has its problems. For instance, how big is
this plate supposed to be? If I fill up a pizza pan with the same proportions as
the guide, I’m still eating a hell of a lot more than I should.
What do you think? Did you ever follow the 1992 food
pyramid?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/health/food-pyramid/
I've always believed that the more processed crap you eat the more you're inclined to be depressed... I guess it's based on nutrient deficiency right? Which is also why I reckon so many of us are depressed... We're just not getting it. So the universe is trying to fuck us again. Fat and happy. Thin and miserable... I know what i'd chose. Xo
ReplyDeleteI know school lunches "try" to follow the food pyramid but it's just a bunch of bullshit. We just like to eat bread, and things like bread; cakes, cookies, buns, whatever. So many people go on diets and what's the first thing they pick up; a banana, because it's so carby. I never knew kids in school who got their 5 fruits and veggies a day.
ReplyDeletei never followed it, i don't even think i could eat that much normally. i mean in a binge maybe, but i definitely don't base those off the pyramid lool and i purge it all anyways. i had this one personal trainer that told me to follow it, but it's just soo much food. maybe it's just my ed that's making me feel that way. plus, i don't eat meat, so the meat and alternatives section never gets fufilled lol. the best i ever felt was on the "eat clean" diet, which encourages fresh, non processed foods.
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