Do you agree that the food pyramid is outdated?

Question

It appears that much of the general public has made these erroneous assumptions:

grains = carbohydrates
meat = protein
dairy = calcium

even though no food provides just one nutrient, and no food has a monopoly on a nutrient.
Grains are our most important source of protein AND iron. Eliminating grains in a fad diet has just eliminated your #1 source of protein and iron.

Shouldn't there be a pyramid listing the nutrient and the foods that contain it? And this should be taught to every school kid.

Example: Protein. Significantly present in wheat, rice, corn, barley, beans, peas, nuts, meat, seafood, eggs, tofu, etc.

Answer 1

The food pyramid was created by the United States Department of Agriculture, and has been used to promote the consumption of meat and dairy (and the profit of those industries) ever since.

Answer 2

I agree that the food pyramid is outdated, but you're also neglecting the fact that there are many types of protein that are required to survive and you're putting a great weight upon grains. Grains are very important for your diet, but mostly for their ability to give you good carbohydrates as well as iron and protein. However, red meat provides a different type of protein that is ALSO required and important. You're also neglecting the fact that there are many others things that we require to live, such as cholesterol. That's right. The DREADED cholesterol. We need to the good kind, which we can only get from meat or dairy.

Really, what everyone needs is a good balance for themselves.

Every individual is different and cannot simply follow a simple flow chart for the "average person" because there IS no average person.

Answer 3

The old one is outdated. I swear, if you want to live by that pyramid, you need like 5 cooks and atleast 4 hours a day for meals. That's just too much food that they're recommending! I couldn't complete half of that food pyramid if I was starved for a week! They need to downsize it, definately. Now they have a vegetarian food pyramid that seems to be easier to follow.

Answer 4

The fact that the majority of the people eat meat is why the food pyramid remains this way......if people really did eat according to the food pyramid and exercised, they'd be healthy. It's when they think a portion of meat is 12 oz or that a serving of grains means a bowl of lucky charms.

Answer 5

I agree that it's outdated, but I believe it is upside-down. Americans are obese because they eat too many carbs and sugars. It's not because they eat too many steaks! Believe me, I know - I am 50 lbs. overweight, and I know why. I know what I ate that made me this way. It was too much white bread, products containing processed white flour, and too much ice cream. Steaks are a rarity for me. I once lost 30 lbs of fat in 3 months on a strict Atkins' diet, and I never felt better in my life. Unfortunately, I eventually had "carb cravings" and went back to those bad foods, and gained it back.
I agree that whole grains would be better, but I'm not talking about the "whole grains" advertised on sugary GM cereal boxes. I'm talking about oatmeal and unprocessed whole grains. But how many people eat like that? When whole grains have been "processed", they are all but stripped of their nutrients.

Answer 6

There are all sorts of different pyramids, pie charts, and the like. They are all moronic. We don't need to teach our children about charts and nutrients and crap like that. What we need to do is get the children in touch with nature. Get them growing and cooking their own food. Get their hands dirty and learn about nature from nature, none of this textbook nonsense. Look at all these city kids... most have never even touched dirt before, let alone walked around barefoot on some grass... at recess they play on concrete... Horrible, just horrible. The majority of the human population now lives in cities and we need to get these kids in touch with nature -- they just think that nature it there for the taking.

Answer 7

Food Pyramid Outdated

Answer 8

Very much so. I think it's all the carbos that make people overweight. Fruits & veggies, then nuts should be on the bottom.

Answer 9

When something makes sense, it does not need to be changed. It may need to be updated (as science has come a looooong way since it first came out) but it's priciples are not outdated. "Miracle" fad diets and lifestyles come and go though.

Answer 10

YES & worst off it promotes seriously unhealthy eatting. John Robbins talks about it in his books.