USDA Food Pyramid: Evil, and Incorrect

The USDA's food pyramid is considered something of a sacred symbol by many. It's time to desecrate it. Learn about how the food pyramid is fundamentally flawed and WILL make you fat and unhealthy.

The pyramid dictates that breads, pastas, and complex carbohydrates such as those should be the mainstay of the American diet. 6-11 servings, it says, should be this group--the bread group. Consider what we know about the glycemic index--breads and other carbohydrates recommended by the pyramid are high-end on the glycemic index, meaning that they really spike the insulin levels hard. If you eat 6-11 servings a day, it's an accurate statement that you will develop diabetes sometime in your life, and it will probably be when you're younger than 60, and you probably will not like it.
Now, 6-11 servings of these starchy carbohydrates might be okay--if you're a marathon runner training a few hours a day, every day of the week.
But I really doubt all of America is going to go start training for a marathon that intensely for love of their starchy carbohyrdates.

The pyramid suggests a good bit of vegetables and fruit. This is good, actually. Anyway, any dietary program that says that you shouldn't eat much fruit doesn't deserve more than two seconds worth of thought: leave it.

But another problem comes in with the pyramid's ideas on the dairy group.

Most American dairy is homogenized, processed, and, in many cases, preserved with chemical nasties.

To understand what is so wrong with this, you need to know what homogenization does, exactly. Homogenized milk is milk that does not separate between the liquid and the cream when it's left the sit. This is accomplished by forcing the fat globules through extremely small holes at very high pressure, and forcing them back into the milk. This fat has also been heated to a very high degree. Saturated fats in the homogenized milk you drink are, for one, barely even recognizable by the body as fat--that is how damaged the fatty acids are by the homogenization process. Secondly, the fats are rancid, even before they're damaged by homogenization. The extreme heat causes them to denature and degrade, rendering them something less than beneficial to the body.

Also, the pyramid does not seem to think that protein and fat are important. This is so wrong, it's borderline laughable. The pyramid groups fats, and sweets together as if it imply that they are all the same thing. The truth: a fat is not a fat is not a fat is not a sweet is not a sweet is not a sweet. Perhaps the USDA should've learned a little more about the nature of fats before suggesting cutting them from your diet. Saturated fats are extremely vital to the integrity of the body and the immune system, among other things. Yes, sweets should be limited. By sweets, I mean things like cake, cookies, pies, etc., But, again, any program that says that eating lots of sweets is a good idea is full of something smelly.

In conclusion: I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Do not trust what the government spoon-feeds you.