Food Pyramid Out – Welcome PLATE

By James Sheldon on June 2nd, 2011

There are many who have campaigned for the USDA to get rid of the archaic, misleading, false information found on the Food Pyramid. Today, led by the championing voice of Michelle Obama, the USDA finally ditched the pyramid in favor of the PLATE, a somewhat better example of the balance that should be the foundation of every diet.

It’s still far from perfect. As you can see in the photo the to right, there is still waaaaay too much “grain” in the picture. And dairy? In the shape of a glass? What could that possibly be suggesting? The dairy farmers all want us to believe that cow’s milk, and products from derived from such, is the only way you can score the calcium you need on a regular basis. I freakin’ love cow’s milk, but the stuff is non-essential. What other animal continues to drink milk after it has been weaned? Especially milk from another animal?

Here’s a challenge, cut dairy OUT of your diet, replace your calcium through vegetables and fruits, your fat through seeds, nuts and essential oils, and see how you feel after 30 days. If you actually jump on that challenge, please come back and comment. It’d be interesting to hear your take..

While it is much appreciated that the USDA has done away with the nonsense that promoted extreme fatness in America, it is obvious that the United States economic model is still responsible for the dictation of what we’re “supposed” to eat. However, it’s nice to finally see that fruits and vegetables are the LARGEST portion on the plate–what would be the “foundation” for a NEW food pyramid.

Wait, you mean 6-8 servings of grains (mostly refined, darn near impossible to digest, complex carbohydrates) wasn’t really good for maintaining weight? And how many years did it take us to get rid of that model? So yes, let’s try the PLATE. And when you’re shopping for grains, make sure that they’re WHOLE grains–such as a finely crafted whole grain beer.