Originally published March 28 2015
How the USDA food recommendation guidelines traded one disease for another
by Joel Edwards
(NaturalNews) In the late 1970s, a senate committee pushed its "Dietary Goals for the United States" urging Americans to eat less fat. It was thought that red meat, eggs, and dairy were killing Americans.
By the 1980s, nearly a million Americans were dying of heart disease each year.
Again, Americans were told to eat less fat and eat more carbohydrates. These recommendations were built into a monument and lauded to the public as the salvation for American health: The Food Pyramid.
The Food Pyramid recommended carbohydrates as the staple of a healthy diet. Fat was a killer, or so we were led to believe, therefore recommendations for fat intake were drastically reduced. A $150 million dollar study, which pushed the same message, came fast on the heels of these recommendations. The study said to eat less fat and avoid foods high in cholesterol in order to reduce your risk of heart disease.
Americans followed this advice and carbohydrate consumption rose. Not produce consumption - we increased consumption of grains and sugar. Americans are now sicker than before. Deaths from heart disease have dropped a bit, but its close cousin, cardiovascular disease, remains the nation's
number one killer and is the leading cause of death for individuals with
diabetes. According to Time Magazine, diabetes has increased 166% from 1980 to 2012. Obesity is also on the rise.
The low-fat trend was directed toward lowering cholesterol. Today, the high fructose corn syrup found in nearly every processed food is the reason cholesterol levels remain high.Whole milk has been banned from most of our public schools, but strawberry milk, chocolate milk, and soda machines are usually available. Whole plain yogurt is usually difficult to find in a grocery store, but low fat, sugar filled, artificially flavored, artificially colored options are everywhere. The prevailing belief is that these low fat options are healthier, even when loaded with sweeteners, than whole milk.
American Health is on a Downward Trend
In every measurable way, Americans are in worse health than ever before. It is widely predicted that our lifespan is shortening; the generations that came before us will have lived longer than us, and we are likely to live longer than the generations that follow.
Despite the variety of diets, popular and obscure, safe and dangerous, on average, Americans are fatter than ever before. Most Americans eat slightly less red meat and eat more lean meat, but they eat more sugar and more highly processed and refined foods. The CDC predicts that by 2030 up to 42% of the U.S. population will be obese, and 11% will be severely obese.
Over time, some foods have gone up in demand, while others have fallen in popularity. Sugar consumption from sugar cane has dropped 35% while corn based sweeteners (mostly high fructose corn syrup) consumption has risen by 8,853%. It's not that Americans are choosing to eat corn syrup, they choose to eat processed foods, and high fructose corn syrup is added to nearly every processed food.
The current government guidelines are only a little different than the original food pyramid. The current recommendations are still high in grains, but the recommendation for fruits and vegetables is higher.
Conclusion
A truly healthy diet is a diverse, whole food, plant based diet. A full 80% of our diet should consist of raw, fresh, organic produce - more vegetables than fruits. Meats should be organic. Nuts and seeds should be soaked or sprouted. Grains should be limited and gluten should be avoided if any illness is present. Dairy should be organic and raw or limited. Omega 3 fatty acids from oily fish, flax seed oil, fish oil, or a blended oil should be added to your diet.
You should avoid all artificial flavors, colors, and preservatives; MSG; high fructose corn syrup; and GMOs. Severely limit or eliminate all processed sugar.
To learn more about how to eat healthy, read the 80% Raw Food Diet. The first step for most people to getting healthy is to Kill Candida and Balance The Gut Quickly and check out the first source below for a good homemade multivitamin/mineral recipe.
Sources:
http://www.organiclifestylemagazine.com
https://www.youtube.com
http://time.com
About the author:
Joel learned long ago that pharmaceuticals were not the answer to health and vitality. He gave up on pharmaceuticals many years ago, and he also gave up wheat and refined sugars. His hobbies include gluten free baking, gardening, and fitness. Joel is passionate about agriculture and environmental issues. Joel believes that progressive, cutting-edge, organic agriculture can feed the world.
Joel learned long ago that pharmaceuticals were not the answer to health and vitality. He gave up on pharmaceuticals many years ago, and he also gave up wheat and refined sugars. His hobbies include gluten free baking, gardening, and fitness. Joel is passionate about agriculture and environmental issues. Joel believes that progressive, cutting-edge, organic agriculture can feed the world.
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