Physician’s Corner—

The ‘New’ Food Pyramid:

 Much Ado About…???

By LaDonna Dakofsky, M.D.

This spring, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) unveiled its 2005 Food Pyramid.

 Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns introduced MyPyramid (www.mypyramid.gov), an interactive online tool. It was built using an impressive medical research database (Harvard’s New Food Pyramid; the DASH diet, NIH’s National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; the Dietary Guidelines for America).

 The persistent hurdle is that we Americans eat too much and consequently weigh too much. The Food Pyramid replaced the old four basic food groups in 1992. However, the percentage of US adults and children who are considered to be overweight has risen since 1992.

As a result, early this year the USDA released a revised Food Pyramid with revised Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005. This Food Pyramid has five food groups (grains, vegetables, fruits, milk, meat/beans) and a staircase along the pyramid to emphasize exercise. The Food Pyramid guides us to eat oils, fats, and sweets sparingly and have low-fat diets rich in high fiber grains, fruits and vegetables, and to drink plenty of water. A rough guide of amount is two cups of fruit and 2½ cups of vegetables per day if you are not trying to lose weight and LESS if your goal is to lose weight. For protein, very small portions of lean meat or beans, tofu, for the more adventurous. We aren’t following these guidelines, however, and 67 percent of Americans are considered to be overweight.

In April, the USDA released the MyPyramid online system, mypyramid.gov. On this website, one types in one’s age, gender, and a category of daily “moderate or vigorous” exercise. The site then gives you an individualized “MyPyramid Plan.” Critics of the system point out that the plan does not ask for your height and weight, so the plan would be the same whether the individual weighs 150 or 250 pounds! The recommendations for the food groups come in ounces for the grains and ounces for meat/beans.

Personally, I find it tedious and difficult to estimate this for each of my daily servings. Also, when I clicked on to “tips” next to each food group, there were an alarming number of food names that was somewhat overwhelming. I would not be likely to follow through with investigating all the things listed.

Our dietary needs have not changed much from the beginning of the agricultural revolution, more than 10,000 years ago. Human diets consisted of game and fish, shellfish, sprouted vegetables, fruits, nuts, wild wheat and barley, the things that were available then. The trick is how to get closer to that type of eating.

The four food groups are in fact, well-ingrained in our minds and a part of our culture and history. Take mashed potatoes and gravy, meatloaf, sloppy joes, apple pie; our All-American food bears little resemblance to our ancestors’ diets. We are a hearty sort: big portions are a sign of strength and vigor., There are, however, other modern ways to eat that can be appealing.

 From Europe, Mireille Guiliano, author of French Women Don’t Get Fat and CEO of the champagne business Veuve Clicquot, talks about the French attitude toward eating and living. What’s refreshing is that it is not a diet book; there is no calorie counting. Daily trips to local markets to buy fresh herbs, fruit, fish, and vegetables go along with eating the best and most fresh foods. Drinking water frequently and having a glass of wine are a part of dining. Preparing and eating small portions with great savoring and lots of walking for exercise allow for treats once in awhile. She says that we Americans are too guilt-ridden about food and deprive ourselves of certain foods so much that we crave them, which can lead to unhealthful eating.

For the less fancy, there is the Slow Food movement which began in 1986 and is a multinational movement. The Connecticut chapter of Slow Food USA has 200 members. In supporting local agriculture and promoting eating the best fresh produce and vegetables, the Slow Food concept can again do wonders for your health without having to count and measure. The rewards, besides your health, are: support of local farms and farmers, teaching ourselves about good food, maybe even starting to sit around a dinner table with our loved ones more often. Studies show that individuals with strong social support systems do better with certain medical conditions, but that’s another story…

So, what do you do? The simple truth is that more whole grains and vegetables and less processed food would do the trick. Rather than spending more inactive time online with MyPyramid, have your cholesterol test taken at the beginning of summer. The target is really a lower cholesterol level and low blood pressure, key ingredients to living longer. However, just 50 percent of adults in the United States have their cholesterol levels checked and of those, 50 percent have a cholesterol level of higher than 200. A low cholesterol level can go a long way toward living longer and feeling better.

 You now have your starting point: your current cholesterol level. This summer, reduce meat servings to the size of a deck of cards each (Yes, a deck of cards) and eliminate two meat servings per week — every week. Then add dark green leafy vegetables of your choice twice a week. When you have bread, eat half a slice for every slice of bread you normally eat. After two months, recheck your cholesterol level. If it is lower, you are on the right track. If it is not lower, make more reductions in meat and add oatmeal or whole grain cereal each morning and in place of snacks. It is extremely important to stick with your plan each week, so you know its effects on your cholesterol test. And consider visiting your local farmers’ market. The Sandy Hook Organic Farmers’ Market started in June.

Let me know how you do.

LaDonna Dakofsky, MD, lives in Sandy Hook with husband, Sandy, and children Scotty and Stephanie. Dr Dakofsky was a senior attending physician at Norwalk Hospital for 10 years. She was awarded “Best Younger Physician in Fairfield County” in 1998 by the Fairfield County Medical Association and now has a medical counseling practice in Newtown, Expert Medical Counseling. She can be reached at 270-6913.