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04.19.2011

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The Great Food Pyramid Roundup

<div style="display:inline; float:left; width:100px; height: 200px; margin: 20px 10px 10px 10px; ">1/8</div><div style="padding: 10px; "><p style="font-size: 8pt;color: #736F6E;text-align: left;padding: 1px 0 0;">IMAGE: Carl Kleiner for <a href="http://demo.fb.se/e/ikea/homemade_is_best/">IKEA</a>.</p><p>We have been outspoken critics of the USDA food pyramid <a href="http://www.hartman-group.com/hartbeat/2005-04-21">over the years</a>. Our ethnographic research shows time and time again that most Americans don't really care what the USDA says about the healthiness of food and beverage products. And they <a href="http://www.hartman-group.com/hartbeat/2006-03-01">don't care about the food pyramid</a> as they eat during the day or when they go grocery shopping. We must remember that eating is first and foremost a social and cultural activity.<br><br>A simple search for "food pyramid" delivers all sorts of varied, triangular results. A concept originally promoted by our friendly government leaves itself open to all forms of communications, from parody (see: zombies) to teaching truck drivers how to healthfully manage their lifestyles.<br><br>Join us as we analyze a few that caught our eye.
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<div style="display:inline; float:left; width:100px; height: 300px; margin:10px;">2/8</div><div style="display: inline;"><p style="font-size: 8pt;color: #736F6E;text-align: left;padding: 1px 0 0;">IMAGE: <a href="http://www.mypyramid.gov/">MyPyramid</a> is a twist on the classic food pyramid.</p><p>
<a href="http://www.mypyramid.gov/">MyPyramid</a> is the latest incarnation of the USDA's food pyramid. It has received mixed reviews, particularly from those with backgrounds in nutrition who tend to put lots of stock into the government's food recommendations. Take <a href="http://www.cspinet.org/nutritionpolicy/">Margo Wootan</a>
, director of nutrition policy for the Center for Science in the Public Interest, who expressed her disappointment with the USDA's efforts. She notes, "the USDA should've given clear advice about how to cut calories and which foods to eat less of. They missed that chance with this new pyramid." Yet what she and many others fail to recognize is that the food pyramid is rarely referenced by consumers. They are more likely to get advice from Jennifer Hudson for Weight Watchers than log onto the USDA's website.</p>

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<div style="display:inline; float:left; width:100px; margin:10px; height: 300px;">3/8</div><div><p style="font-size: 8pt;color: #736F6E;text-align: left;padding: 1px 0 0;">IMAGE: This fiesty pyramid is also available in a <a href="http://www.threadless.com/submission/66313/zombie_food_pyramid">tshirt</a>.</p><p>The Zombie Food Pyramid suggests a healthy serving of braaaaains.
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<div style="display:inline; float:left; width:100px; margin:10px; height: 300px;">4/8</div><div><p style="font-size: 8pt;color: #736F6E;text-align: left;padding: 1px 0 0;">IMAGE: Dr. Andrew Weil's food pyramid is <a href="http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/ART02995/Dr-Weil-Anti-Inflammatory-Food-Pyramid.html">interactive</a>.</p><p>Certainly the more progressive of the pyramids, Dr. Weil's <a href="http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/ART02012/anti-inflammatory-diet">anti-inflammatory diet</a> is thought to help counteract chronic inflammation, a root cause of many serious diseases, including heart disease, <a href="http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/ART03064/Alzheimers-Disease.html">Alzheimer's</a>, Parkinson's disease, and autoimmune diseases like <a href="http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/ART00663/rheumatoid-arthritis">rheumatoid arthritis</a> and lupus.
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<div style="display:inline; float:left; width:100px; margin:10px; height: 300px;">5/8</div><div><p style="font-size: 8pt;color: #736F6E;text-align: left;padding: 1px 0 0;">IMAGE: Other regional pyramids are available <a href="http://www.familyfreshmarket.com/Well-Balanced.aspx?resource=%2Fassets%2Fgeneric%2Ffood-groups-and-the-food-pyramid%2F~default">here</a>.</p><p>Popular pyramid variations are based on diets from regions with historically lower chronic disease rates, such as the Mediterranean Diet Pyramid above. According to its creators, "the Mediterranean Diet is more than a diet. It is a lifelong living style. You have to adopt it as a religion." Note the absence of braaaains. And lupus. </p>
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<div style="display:inline; float:left; width:100px; margin:10px; height: 300px;"> 6/8</div><div><p style="font-size: 8pt;color: #736F6E;text-align: left;padding: 1px 0 0;">IMAGE: That's a lot of water! See more <a href="http://www.antiagexpert.com/anti-aging-food-diet.html">here</a>.</p><p>The Anti-Aging Food Pyramid suggests eating low on the glycemic index, which we have found is rarely referenced by consumers when talking about healthy eating, as it has largely remained an industry term. "Work to include complex carbs like whole grain cereals and grains into your diet daily," they suggest. This is odd, since whole grain cereals and grains are, in fact, one and the same. This pyramid is a great example of nutrition advice gone awry.
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<div style="display:inline; float:left; width:100px; margin:10px; height: 300px;"> 7/8</div><div><p style="font-size: 8pt;color: #736F6E;text-align: left;padding: 1px 0 0;">IMAGE: The <a href="http://crossfitlove.com/2011/01/08/day-6-the-30-day-paleo-challenge/">Real Food Pyramid</a> mirrors the Paleo Diet.</p><p>The Real Food Pyramid is the easiest on the eyes. It closely follows guidelines outlined in the Paleo diet. The main premise here is that humans were not made to live on grains, hence the omission of even whole grains from this pyramid. History has proven that the elimination of any food category does not have much longevity (remember Atkins?), so we don't expect the Real Food Pyramid to have a very far-reaching effect.
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<div style="display:inline; float:left; width:100px; margin:10px; height: 300px;"> 8/8</div><div><p style="font-size: 8pt;color: #736F6E;text-align: left;padding: 1px 0 0;">IMAGE: See more suggestions for truckers <a href="http://www.drivinghealthy.org/eating-any.shtml">here</a>.</p><p>Last but definitely not least, the food pyramid as part of a healthy commercial truck driving lifestyle. Studies show that 50 percent of commercial drivers are overweight or obese compared to only 33 percent of the general adult population. So, suggesting vegetables in abundance and daily exercise for a truck driver is perhaps the finest example of how ill-informed yet well-intentioned the people creating food pyramids might be. <br><br>The consumers we interview never anecdotally refer to the food pyramid as they reference their eating habits. More often, they will turn to <a href="http://www.hartman-group.com/hartbeat/oprah-food-and-us">Dr. Oz or Oprah</a> when discussing eating guidelines.<br><br>What does this all mean? American consumers simply cannot and will not consistently eat according to a scientific formula, no matter how neatly it is packaged. In other words, it is not the content, packaging or marketing of the food pyramid that's the problem, it's the pyramid itself.
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