A staple of nutrition was recently tossed out in the gar-bage. The traditional "pyramid of healthy foods" so beloved by nutritionists, although long known to be erroneous, was discarded this year by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and replaced by something called MyPlate. It's supposed to be simpler. It was rather difficult to remember all that pyramid stuff which we now believe contributed to the lifestyle diseases common nowadays but made some CEOs very wealthy indeed. The basis of the old pyramid was carbohydrate, bread, cereal, rice and pasta together with large servings of dairy, milk and cheese, a little bit of fat and some veggies and fruit. Too many things guaranteed to make you sick. Not entirely surprising when one ac- knowledges how things work in the real world of medicine where far too much is the result of an accommodation between science and business interests. The new plan, MyPlate, is hardly better. Hear what Walter Willet, Professor of Epidemiology and Nutrition and chair of the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health, has to say about the new scheme: "Unfortunately, like the earlier US Department of Agriculture Pyramids, MyPlate mixes science with the influence of powerful agricultural interests, which is not the recipe for healthy eating."
I well remember Dr George Graham, then Professor of Human Nutrition at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, making the same remark in 1976 to a group of us doing the Masters in public health and how indignant we became. Well, it's over 30 years and many deaths later and the same shindig is being danced in the honourable halls of stately Washington edifices. In the meantime the American public, most of the Western world, as well as many in developing countries have bought in to that irresponsible diet. The result? The so-called "lifestyle" diseases: diabetes, heart attacks, strokes, high blood pressure. Not to mention overweight and obesity (real bad overweight). Currently, two in three adults and one in three children are overweight or obese in the US. So nutrition experts at Harvard have unveiled the Healthy Eating Plate. It provides a blueprint for eating well and it addresses important deficiencies in the MyPlate suggestions. Comparing the Harvard Healthy Eating Plate to the USDA's MyPlate shows the shortcomings in the Government's guide. MyPlate does not tell consumers that whole grains (brown rice, whole wheat berries, rolled oats) are far better for health than refined grains which have most of the vitamins and all of the fibre removed, leaving behind mainly starch.
Its protein section offers no indication that some high-protein foods-fish, poultry, beans, nuts-are healthier than red meats and processed meats (hot dogs, bolog-na, sausage, ham). It is silent on beneficial fats: the total amount of fat in the diet isn't really linked with weight or disease. What really matters is the type of fat in the diet. Bad fats, meaning trans and saturated fats, increase the risk for certain diseases. Good fats, meaning monounsaturated and polyunsatu- rated fats, do just the opposite. They are good for the heart and most other parts of the body. It does not distinguish between potatoes and other vegetables. That's a tough one to believe but it's true. Of course it also says nothing about yam and cassava and eddoes which are far healthier than potatoes. It recommends dairy at every meal, even though there is little evidence that high dairy intake protects against osteoporosis (weak bones) but substantial evidence that high intake can be harmful. Milk causes bloating gas, cramps and diarrhoea. It is full of saturated fats, a health risk for heart disease, and too much calcium is a risk factor for prostate cancer.
In one study of male health professionals, men who drank two or more glasses of milk a day were almost twice as likely to develop advanced prostate cancer as those who didn't drink milk at all. It says nothing about sugary drinks. No one needs more than one small glass of fresh juice a day. The common Trini habit of children drinking those awful little boxes of sugar water disguised as juice or the ubiquitous sweet drink must stop. Finally, the Healthy Eating Plate reminds people to stay active. Next to not smoking and eating well, getting regular physical activity is arguably the best thing you can do for your health. It lowers the risk of heart disease, diabetes, stroke, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, and certain cancers, and also can help control stress and boost mood. Plus, moderate to vigorous physical activity helps keep weight in check. MyPlate of course, does not mention the importance of activity. There is little doubt that a plant-based diet rich in vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats, and healthy proteins lowers the risk of weight gain and chronic disease. Helping people get the best possible nutrition advice is of critical importance as the world faces a burgeoning obesity and lifestyle epidemic brought on in great part by bad advice from governments and agricultural business interests.