Remember when the government revised its food pyramid three years ago, only to confuse Americans with its 12 versions and staircase on the side?
The people at the Harvard School of Public Health certainly do. They set out to create a guide to good nutrition that uses the familiar pyramid shape but incorporates current research findings in a more straightforward way.
"We would really like to see nutrition applied in daily life," Lilian Cheung, director of health promotion and communication in the nutrition department, said in an interview. "We want to demystify the whole subject."
The new model (above), called the Healthy Eating Pyramid, is searchable, downloadable, and free. It's part of a relaunched site The Nutrition Source that breaks down diet components, with links to research, and shares recipes from well-known chefs Mollie Katzen, Nina Simonds, and Ming Tsai. Restaurant-scale meals are included, too, from The Culinary Institute of America to Harvard's own Sebastian's Cafe, the cafeteria at the School of Public Health.
The updated pyramid, based on data from the Nurses' Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, has four components that differ from the US Department of Agriculture's 2005 recommendations. Exercise and weight control are at the base of the pyramid to stress their importance, vitamin D is added in a bottle off to the side reflecting deficiencies many people have, dairy is limited to two servings a day because more doesn't help, and sugar-sweetened beverages such as sodas are added to the pyramid's tip, in the "use sparingly" category that also includes red meat, salt, and refined grains, the site says.
And that wine glass? That means moderate drinking can offer health benefits to many people, but it's not for everyone. So don't start.
The Nutrition Source
Food Pyramids: What Should You Really Eat?http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/pyramid-full-story/index.htmlWhat's questionable about today's USDA Food Pyramid?
"The guidelines suggest that it is fine to consume half of our grains as refined starch. That's a shame, since refined starches, such as white bread and white rice, behave like sugar. They add empty calories, have adverse metabolic effects, and increase the risks of diabetes and heart disease.
In terms of protein, the guidelines continue to lump together red meat, poultry, fish, and beans (including soy products). They ask us to judge these protein sources by their total fat content, and "make choices that are lean, low-fat, or fat-free." This ignores the evidence that these foods have different types of fats. It also overlooks mounting evidence that replacing red meat with a combination of fish, poultry, beans, and nuts offers numerous health benefits.
The recommendation to drink three glasses of low-fat milk or eat three servings of other dairy products per day to prevent osteoporosis is another step in the wrong direction. Of all the recommendations, this one represents the most radical change from current dietary patterns. Three glasses of low-fat milk a day amounts to more than 300 extra calories a day. This is a real issue for the millions of Americans who are trying to control their weight. What's more, millions of Americans are lactose intolerant, and even small amounts of milk or dairy products give them stomachaches, gas, or other problems. This recommendation ignores the lack of evidence for a link between consumption of dairy products and prevention of osteoporosis. It also ignores the possible increases in risk of ovarian cancer and prostate cancer associated with dairy products."
