New Food Guide Pyramid

The USDA has finally unveiled their new food guide pyramid... make that 12 food guide pyramids. No longer will you find a simple pyramid on the side of a cracker box. You'll actually have to log on to MyPyramid.gov to build the pyramid that's right for you.

A Reuters news article (linked above) reports, "The new symbol drew immediate criticism from some experts for placing responsibility for a slimmer America on consumers and not food companies."

Excuse me. Did I miss something? I've always thought that what I eat is my responsibility, not the responsibility of food companies.

That kind of thinking—the kind that abdicates personal responsibility—is how America became obese in the first place. Frankly, if the new food guide pyramid puts more responsibility on the consumer, so much the better.

Although I don't agree with the USDA's recommendations for what constitutes a healthy diet, I do agree with one underlying principle they've adopted. That is, "One size doesn't fit all."

In other words, there is no single diet that is a perfect fit for everyone.

Since I've been married I've noticed on occasion how some foods make me feel bad, but don't seem to affect my wife. And vice versa. I began to formulate a theory that her body processes some foods better than mine, and mine processes some foods better than hers.

It turns out that there's a growing body of evidence that suggests a healthy diet is a moving target... that what's healthy for one person may not be healthy for another.

For instance, Dr. Mercola talks about metabolic typing. He says that you should eat according to your metabolic type if you want to feel the maximum amount of energy and health possible.

Peter J. D'Adamo, on the other hand, says you should eat according to your blood type. Type O should eat more meat and protein; type A should eat more grains; etc.

Ultimately, I'm not sure what measure you should use to determine what you should eat, but I prefer to use an experimental and experiential approach. Eat a particular food and observe the way it makes you feel. Do you feel energized and healthy afterward? Or do you feel sluggish or congested?

Simple observation of how your body responds to certain foods can take you a long way toward figuring out the diet that's right for you.

So take some time to check out the new food guide pyramid. But don't bank on achieving perfect health by following its suggestions.

Comments

[binshape]

Yet another excellent topic for discussion! I was reading (this morning) about these food pyramids. Sometimes I don't know what to believe, but I agree with eating what makes YOUR body feel good and look good. Thanks for the info.

[yogagirl]

Great blog Ryan--enjoyed reading it. You might like reading this http://buzz.prevention.com/category/power-foods/

[A!NT $MOKEY STUNT!N]

yo stuff is not what i thought it was going to b like