USDA Food Pyramid, Take Five

The USDA Food Pyramid is just like "The Little Engine that Could" story. It just keeps trying and trying to get up that hill, but yet, it never quite seems to make it.

This year the USDA seems to be getting smarter. Their "Steps to a Healthier You" and "One size does not fit all" sentiment is great. Finally they aren't pretending we all need the same calories and nutrients, but that's where the "smarts" in this outfit ends.

Check the suggested calories and foods based on your age and activity level. For my age and activity level they are recommending 2200 calories (which is about what I average, so that's okay by me).

My Daily Recommended Food Sources and Quantities

• Grains, 7 ounces (dry or cooked?)
• Vegetables, 3 cups (I eat this or more easily)
• Fruits, 2 cups (ditto. Easy to achieve this)
• Milk, 3 cups (wha...? What about other dairy, and isn't this supposed to be in the meat group?)
• Meat & Beans, 6 ounces

I easily eat the required grains, vegetables and fruits. I tend to eat more vegetables if I want to feel fuller (I call it being a vegetable pig, if you must know), and I love fruit for snacks. I eat an apple nearly every day, sometimes twice and usually another piece of two of fruit besides (not all at once), so two cups of fruit a day is easy for me.

What's up With This 3 Cups of Milk Recommendation?

Can you spell "Dairy Industry Influence?" Presumably this high recommendation is for the calcium, but frankly, you can get calcium from many foods, not just milk. I thought dairy should be included in the meat category too.

Meat & Beans at six ounces is okay, I suppose, but it's low for anyone eating the low carb approach, and high for those eating an oriental diet such as Macrobiotics.

The Oil Diet

Holy cats! I just saw they recommend six teaspoons of oil a day. What kind of goofball suggestion is that? I have a booklet, The Mazola Oil Diet" from 1965, and in it they recommend five teaspoons of oil plus two tablespoons margarine a day on their 1500 calorie a day plan. That makes sense because selling Mazola Oil was the point of the booklet.

So what's up with this, feds? Six teaspoons of oil? Added? Sheesh, I'd hang my head in shame if I were responsible for that recommendation. There is just no thought but rather industry influence that rules this thing. Why they even bother is beyond me.

Immediately after the ridiculous oil suggestion they state, "Limit your extras (extra fats & sugars) to 290 Calories." Does that include the six teaspoons of oil they've already suggested?. This pyramid is far more confusing than ever.

My suggestion is eat more grains, vegetables and fruits; and don't go out of your way to add extra oil (don't worry you'll be getting plenty anyway).

There will never be a list or plan that works for everyone but the USDA Pyramid gives you a basic guideline for a starting point.

US Department of Agriculture, MyPyramid.gov