In response to growing criticism about the current U.S. Food Pyramid, the U.S. Department of Agriculture recently released its revised Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
According to the USDA, the 2005 Dietary Guidelines were intended to be a primary source of dietary health information for policymakers, nutrition educators and health providers. In addition the guidelines provide information and advice for choosing a nutritious diet, maintaining a healthy weight, achieving adequate exercise and keeping foods safe to prevent food-borne illness.
The new Guidelines recommend that Americans eat nutrient-dense foods and beverages while limiting their intake of saturated and trans fats, cholesterol, added sugars, salt and alcohol. It also recommends incorporating daily exercise of 30 to 60 minutes to maintain health and weight. Lastly, it takes into consideration the health of special populations such as pregnant women or the elderly, gender and ethnic background.
According to the USDA, these revised guidelines are based on recommendations by the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, composed of scientific experts responsible for reviewing the most current dietary and nutritional information and incorporating it into the new report.
In 1992, the USDA unveiled its Food Guide Pyramid, which was intended to help Americans make dietary choices that would maintain good health and reduce the risk of chronic disease. Now, a little over a decade later, critics have blamed the pyramid for contributing to obesity, diabetes and heart disease in Americans.
These critics, including the White House Office of Management and Budget, have urged the USDA to revise its food guide pyramid to include information on the health benefits of Omega-3 fatty acids and the risks of trans-fatty acids. In addition, critics also believe that consideration of people's age, gender, weight, and the amount of exercise they need to calculate their specific dietary needs should be included.
Susan Nitzke, professor of nutritional sciences at UW-Madison told The Daily Cardinal in 2004 that, after 12 years of incorporating the food pyramid in her classroom, she too thought it was time for a change.
\As it was developed originally, the food guide pyramid was for healthy Americans and ways they should eat to stay health,"" she said. ""Now that the average American adult is overweight, should the food guide pyramid be a guide to help you lose weight?
Elizabeth Freitick, a clinical dietician working for University Health Services at UW-Madison, also told The Daily Cardinal in 2004 that though she would like to see ""more emphasis on balance,"" the pyramid was not completely flawed.
""The food pyramid is not bad,"" she said. ""It is guilty of not giving enough detail.""
In response to its critics, the new guidelines address the fact that 90 million Americans are affected by chronic diseases and conditions, such as obesity, which compromise their quality of life and health. In addition to many changes, it also acknowledges Americans will have to be willing to make significant changes in their eating habits and lifestyles.
David Rakel, assistant professor of family medicine and director of UW integrative medicine, says the revised guidelines are good.
""I think they actually did a good job of bringing this information to the public in this report,"" Rakel said. ""For many years we thought all fat was bad. We now know that trans fats are bad, but the omega-3 fatty acids that the guideline promotes are very protective against cancer, diabetes and heart disease.""
Dr. Pat Remington, professor of medicine at UW Medical School and director of the UW Population Health Institute, agrees the revisions were needed, but isn't sure they are communicated simply enough for the public to understand.
""I think the revised guidelines are deceptively complex. They are packed with a lot of information and subtleties that could be missed by the public,"" he said. ""I would have liked to see it simplified, such as 'eat less and exercise more.' The single message is sometimes missed.""
These revised guidelines, for which no revised pyramid graphic yet exists, required updating for many reasons. The current pyramid graphic recommends that people minimize consumption of fats and oils, but should eat six to 11 servings a day of foods rich in complex carbohydrates, such as bread, cereal, rice and pasta. It also recommends generous amounts of vegetables, fruit, dairy products and at least two servings per day from the meat and beans group, which, in an attempt to simplify nutrition for Americans, lump together red meat with poultry, fish, nuts, legumes and eggs.
However, the current pyramid model is misleading. In lumping these foods together it doesn't distinguish between ""good"" fats and ""bad.""
The ""good"" fats, which reduce cholesterol, are found in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. These can be found in foods such as olive, canola, and peanut oils, in addition to cold water fish such as salmon, tuna and mackerel, which contain Omega-3 fatty acids, another polyunsaturated fat.
The ""bad"" fats include the saturated fat and trans fatty acids that are in many animal products such as whole milk, red meat, fried foods, baked goods, and margarine.
The current pyramid also overemphasizes carbohydrates, which make up the base of the pyramid. While complex carbohydrates, such as whole grains, are an important part of a balanced diet, refined grains or too many complex carbohydrates, such as white rice and white bread, can contribute to type two diabetes.
""They [USDA] in a way turned the pyramid upside down by emphasizing healthy food, such as whole grains and good fat versus bad fat,"" Remington said.
The former guidelines also did not include any information about the importance of exercise to health and weight management.
""The new recommendations about exercise are realistic,"" Rakel said. ""We need to exercise 60 minutes per day to maintain weight and health and 90 minutes per day to lose weight.""
A copy of the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which is published jointly every five years by the Department of Health and Human Services and the USDA, can be downloaded at no cost at www.healthierus.gov/dietaryguidelines or by calling the U.S. Government Printing Office toll-free at (866) 512-1800.
Both Remington and Rakel agree the main message Americans need to grasp is it is important to eat fewer calories daily and get more exercise.
""If I could make one recommendation to people, it would be to exercise more, improve nutrition by eating more whole grains and vegetables and to learn to manage stress, which can lead to many chronic diseases,"" Rakel said.
