The USDA's food pyramid is extremely controversial. Federal funding, lobbies, and American jobs are just a few issues at the roots of these great debates. Frankly, I find that it allows too much food that is not particularly healthful.
This food pyramid is right on track. It promotes the foods that can prevent and reverse chronic disease. You can read more about this nutritarian way of eating, a phrase coined by Dr. Joel Fuhrman, in is latest book, Eat for Health.
You'll note that vegetables make up the base of this food pyramid. Have you read any research that says not to eat your vegetables?
You might also enjoy these:
• Stent placement or medication therapy: which will you choose?
• Best books for best health
• The SAD truth: Is your diet killing you?
• Being in good health requires self-discipline
• Vegan diet for lasting weight loss
Comments
Agree! Hi Peggy
I have been botheredd with a rash on my scalp and now it is on my face. Seems to get worse when I get my hair colored. But I'm NOT allergic to hair color. Could it be my diet??
I do take vit in place of eating fruits and veggies ( juice plus ) Been to derms and allergy doc. No help. Thanks
Peggy rocks!!!
I love Dr. Fuhrman's food pyramid too. It makes the most sense in the long run for the majority of people!
Please write more on this topic. The country need to change the way they eat.....too much obesity and chronic disease.
Great pyramid! Thanks for showing us it! Really an innovative slant.
liz,
There is no substitute for eating fruits and vegetables. No supplement or pill contains all of the nutrients and fiber present in the real food, in fact many supplements have proven negative affects (Vitamin A). What you are eating in place of fruits and vegetables can't possibly compete with their nutrition.
I find the new food pyramid with its vertical stripes confusing and hard to teach to kids. The whole idea of a pyramid with certain foods as the broad base, to be eaten in larger quantity, and others as a tiny piece at the top, to be eaten rarely, is now gone. If every major food group has a vertical stripe with a wide base and a narrow top, what in the world does that mean? It might as well be back to four equal sized squares, with meat and dairy occupying two squares.
Dr. Fuhrman's pyramid is clear: for good health, eat mostly from the broad base of vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts, and seeds. Eat sparingly of eggs, dairy, and meats. Processed foods like oils, sugar, and flour should be rarely eaten. Now THAT is easy to understand, and makes perfect sense based on the research.
I wish schools were required to teach this instead of the UDSA pyramid.
Dr. Fuhrman is the best!!! Following his pyramid will make you feel better than you have ever felt in your life!! Follow the "other one" and you will continue to develope heart disease, diabetis,high blood pressure, etc.
Great to see this pyramid get wider exposure. I've been following it for a year with great health and weight-loss results, including a 70-point drop in cholesterol in just two months.
This pyramid makes total sense. It reflects the truth about what we need to eat in order to be healthy -- as determined by science rather than by special interest groups with powerful lobbyists. It's about time that someone gave us unbiased information about nutrition so we can make informed choices about what to put in our bodies.
I love this pyramid...This should be the way all of us eat. It is unfortunate that people are misinformed by the USDA.
Go to Drfuhrman.com to learn more about it.
Alex
One year ago I tried to adopt Dr Fuhrman's food "Pyramid." Within 5 weeks my liver enzyme levels normalized to their best levels in 17 years! Dr Fuhrman's food pyramid achieved what 17 years of powerful corticosteroids could not achieve.
Now my doctors are weening me off the coricosteroids very slowly - because these "wonder drugs" are so toxic. I can't just get off them in a few weeks.
Thanks for bringing the pioneering work of Dr Fuhrman into a broader the public arena.
I always feel better after reading your collumns
Dr Fuhrman's food pyramid is very easy to understand and for those with mathematical scientific minds, it should be pointed out that it is a graphical representation of his Einstein type health equation:
Nutritional Health = Nutrients/Calories
which if adopted nationwide would save America trillion$ in health care costs.
I feel that Dr Joel Fuhrman, MD should be awarded a Nobel Laureate prize in the field of Nutritional Health for this discovery.
Thank you Peggy for your article.
God Bless !
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!