That way everybody’s happy …īut I’m not, and you shouldn’t be either. You can see now why I have big problems with the food pyramid! Its guidelines try to sound sensible - while still protecting the interests of the food industry, the agriculture industry, and all of the lobbyists paying for the elections of the Congress. But the food pyramid guidelines don’t mention pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, or genetically modified foods, despite scientific evidence of their harm. Of course you shouldn’t leave your egg salad out in the hot sun or toss your salad with hands that just handled raw chicken coated with salmonella. Sounds good - but if you’re usually drinking two bottles of wine a night, then one seems like moderation! I think a better suggestion is to limit your alcohol consumption to half a drink a day or 3 glasses a week (the amount that seems to have the most health benefit). If you drink alcoholic beverages, do so in moderation. A better recommendation would be to avoid packaged, processed, canned, prepared, and fast foods (unless you know exactly how they are made).Ħ. For most Americans who eat half of their meals outside their homes, this isn’t helpful. But it doesn’t make sense if most of what you eat is packaged or processed foods that you don’t actually prepare. Who could argue with that? But how do they define “wisely”? The real advice here should be to cut down sugar intake from 185 pounds per person per year (what we currently consume) to less than a pound, avoid flour products (except as a treat), and stick to whole-food carbohydrates like vegetables, fruit, whole grains, beans, nuts, and seeds.ĥ. Well, fruits, veggies, and whole grains are great. Increase intake of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and nonfat or low-fat milk products. Also consider this: Is it okay to consume all of your calories from cola or ice cream as long as you stay within my caloric needs? Of course not. Control your caloric intake to manage body weight.Īgain, that sounds good, but as I wrote in my book UltraMetabolism, even the best-trained nutritionists and dietitians can’t come close to correctly estimating their own caloric intake in a day. Generic advice like that is pretty meaningless and potentially harmful.Ģ. Sounds sensible - but which food groups? If you choose dairy, meat, fats, and carbohydrates, the “perfect” meal could be a cheeseburger, milkshake, and fries with ketchup (potatoes and tomatoes are the two top vegetables consumed in America). Consume a variety of foods within and among the basic food groups while staying within your body’s energy needs. Just take a look at some of the pyramid’s recommendations - and why I disagree with them.ġ. The pyramid just isn’t based on key scientific findings about health. He’s even called its guidelines “udderly ridiculous.” That’s not something a Harvard scientist says lightly.īut Dr. In fact, Walter Willett, M.D., Ph.D - the second-most-cited scientist in all of clinical medicine and the head of nutrition at Harvard’s School of Public Health - is one of the pyramid’s most vocal critics. Some of the “experts” who helped create the pyramid actually work for the dairy industry, which makes the US Department of agriculture’s recommendations reflect industry interests, not science or our best interests. What’s wrong with that? Well, for one thing, it’s not a recommendation that’s based on strict science. The USDA’s pyramid recommends drinking 3 glasses of milk a day. I’m aware that my advice to avoid dairy flies in the face of the new, “up-to-date” food pyramid from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The Reason I Have Problems with the USDA Food Pyramid In today’s blog I will explore many of the documented ill-effects of dairy, and give you six reasons you should avoid dairy at all costs. I like ice cream just as much as the next person, but as a scientist I have to look honestly at what we know. But that’s just what I’m about to do.īased on the research and my experience practicing medicine, I typically advise most of my patients to avoid dairy products completely. In fact, criticizing milk in America is like taking on motherhood, apple pie, or baseball. If that sounds shocking to you, it’s because very few people are willing to tell the truth about dairy. Celebrities, athletes, and even former president Clinton’s head of Health and Human Services, Donna Shalala, are all proud to wear the white “milk mustache.” After all, everyone knows that you need milk to be healthy …ĭairy is nature’s perfect food - but only if you’re a calf. These days, it seems like almost everybody does.
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