The Food Pyramid Crumbles

Along with Surgeon General Regina Benjamin and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, First Lady Michelle Obama launched a USDA’s new icon in a press conference Thursday, reshaping the food pyramid into the spherical “My plate,” that gives parents a graphic representation of the mealtime configuration of food. 

The plate is divided into four segments with half of the plate designated to fruit and vegetables groups, the other half to a proportionally larger grain than the protein group and a small circular dairy group in the upper right hand corner.

“This is a quick, simple reminder for all of us to be more mindful of the foods that we're eating” said Obama, “as a mom, I can already tell how much this is going to help parents across the country."

Melody Barnes, Chair of the White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity, wrote in her May 2010 report that at least 31.7% of American’s ages 2 – 19 are considered obese.  “This is not the future we want for our children, and is a burden our healthcare system cannot bear.”

The goal of the action plan outlined in the Task Force’s report is to reduce the childhood obesity rate to just 5% by 2030, thereby “solving the epidemic of childhood obesity within one generation.”

In that same report, she lists challenges that have become what are now called the First Lady’s Five Pillar’s of the Let’s Move! Campaign, which are as follows:

1. Creating a healthy start for children
2. Empower parents and caregivers
3. Provide healthier foods in schools
4. Improve access to healthy and affordable foods
5. Increase physical activity.

Obama has played an integral part in drawing attention the . “When mom or dad comes home from a long day of work. . .it's tough to be a nutritionist, too.” Says Obama, “But we do have time to take a look at our kids' plates. As long as they're half full of fruits and vegetables, and paired with lean proteins, whole grains and low-fat dairy, we're golden. That's how easy it is."

Is it really that easy? Although the icon makes it a bit easier to determine the configuration of food on the plate than either of the previous USDA icons, the problem still remains that one needs to choose the “right” foods. One of the great challenges will still be to improve access to healthy and affordable foods.

Remember the first generation food pyramid launched by the USDA in 1992, arranging the necessary building blocks of nutrition into a hierarchy, the foundation of which was laid upon bread, cereal, pasta and rice? The next generation 2005 icon was even more confusing, depicting a little man running up steps built into the side of food pyramid that was structured with vectors of color coded food portions. 

Now, at least the icon is round and the compartments designate somewhat understandable portions but, is it going to prevent parents from piling a plate high with chicken fingers, French fries and applesauce, oh and the chocolate milk neatly placed in the circle at the upper right hand corner? Are parents going to go to the “online tools. . . to personalize and manage their dietary and physical activity choices?” 

I am sure the i-phone app will be available soon for all those parents interested in micromanaging their child’s every meal but, for the much of America, it’s still the fast food or cheaper processed and boxed meals that will be filling those compartments.

While the idea is to utilize the MyPlate icon in tandem with the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, launched by the USDA in January 2011, Secretary Vilsack said, “consumers are bombarded by so many nutrition messages that it makes it difficult to focus on changes that are necessary to improve their diet.” The goal is to unify the public and private sectors to coordinate efforts and highlight one desired change for consumers at a time."

Incidentally, the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, include:

1. Balance Calories

• Enjoy your food, but eat less.
• Avoid oversized portions.

2. Foods to Increase

• Make half your plate fruits and vegetables.
• Switch to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk.
• Make at least half your grains whole grains

3. Foods to Reduce

• Compare sodium (salt) in foods like soup, bread, and frozen meals, and choose foods with lower numbers.
• Drink water instead of sugary drinks.

“I don't think it goes far enough, but it's certainly headed in the right direction,” said Marion Nestle, professor of nutrition, food studies and public health at New York University said in an interview with Scientific American. “I'm a nutritionist, and it's a switch from food to nutrients, which is always a mistake — it's just wrong.”

What Nestle cites the problematic “protein” group, which fails to recognize the importance of grains and dairy as sources of protein by designating it as a separate section. “They didn't want to call it the meat group in part because the meat industry has really been trying to equate meat with protein, and they didn't want to minimize meat and have smaller sectors for beans, poultry and fish. This is their way of doing an "eat less meat" move without actually saying it.”

“The protein section is unnecessary, “ said Dr, Neal Barnard, President of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, “ beans, whole grains, and vegetables are loaded with it. And it is a shame that MyPlate reserves a special place for dairy products, which are packed with fat and cholesterol and may increase the risk of health problems ranging from asthma to some types of cancer.”

Barnard also commented on the message that the icon and recommendation send to federal food subsidiaries, “While the USDA’s plate encourages fruit and vegetable consumption and advises Americans to limit high-fat products like meat and cheese, federal agriculture subsidies do exactly the opposite: They spend billions of dollars promoting production of high-fat, high-calorie food products.”

Most individuals, although they find some criticism, think that the recommendations are a step in the right direction. Together with First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! initiative and other stakeholders to deliver tips and information necessary to adopt healthier eating habits balanced with physical activity.

"In the end, as First Lady, this isn’t just a policy issue for me. This is a passion. This is my mission. I am determined to work with folks across this country to change the way a generation of kids thinks about food and nutrition," said Obama.