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By Melissa Tennen, HealthAtoZ writer
Second of two parts.
Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health have proposed a new model for the traditional food pyramid designed and maintained by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The USDA pyramid - from bottom to top - recommends six to 11 servings of bread, cereal, rice and pasta; two to four servings of fruit; three to five servings of vegetables; two to three servings of milk, yogurt and cheese; and two to three servings of meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs and nuts. At the top of the pyramid are fats, oils and sweets, which should be used sparingly.
The Harvard group's recommendation takes each of the six blocks in the pyramid, reassembles them into nine blocks, and relabels them. Whole grain foods and plant oils replace the bread group, for example. White bread, white rice, red meat and butter go to the top with sweets and fats, to be used sparingly.
At the very base is a completely new layer, "Daily Exercise and Weight Control." "This is certainly not a new suggestion, but a vital one nonetheless. The reason that physical activity has been added to a food pyramid is to stress its importance. Disregarding exercise in an effort to lose weight and maintain/improve health doesn't make sense", says John Acquaviva, PhD and an exercise physiologist.
"What is proposed is an alternative, not a panacea," says Gail Frank, Dr. P.H., R.D., C.H.E.S., an American Dietetic Association (ADA) spokeswoman, and a professor of nutrition and director of the dietetic internship program at California State University in Long Beach. "(But) the Harvard Alternative Eating Index (AHEI) is certainly focused on the Mediterranean diet."
The Mediterranean diet, which focuses on olive oil and fish several times a week and includes red meat only sparingly, may help create a significantly lower incidence of cardiovascular disease.
"The AHEI is not a diet but a guideline. However, if we want to fuel the fire and have a competitor to Atkins, Ornish and USDA, then one would consider this a moderate way to eat in that it includes alcohol, limits red meat and emphasizes whole grains," Frank says.
The Atkins diet restricts carbohydrates, claiming it is carbohydrates that make you fat. It says strict limits on carbohydrates enable the body to burn fat. The diet advocates eating meats, poultry, eggs, cheese, butter, cream and nuts. The problem, dietitians say, is that this diet is too weighed down by saturated fat and too low on fruits and vegetables, which are key for helping to prevent chronic conditions, such as high blood pressure and 30 percent of cancer cases. It also is low on calcium and fiber and can cause bad breath and constipation.
The Dean Ornish diet says eating fat-free, healthy foods can make you feel full and still lose weight. The problem is that it lacks healthy foods, such as seafood, low-fat poultry and dairy. It is also low in calcium, a mineral necessary to prevent osteoporosis.
The Food Guide Pyramid, which has been evolving since the late 1800s, has remained unchanged for a decade. The USDA's guidelines are revised every five years with the most recent revision in January 2005.
"I don't know if a lot of people can really follow [the Harvard guidelines]," says Cynthia Sass, M.A., R.D., a dietitian at BayCare Health System in Tampa, Fla. and a spokeswoman for the ADA. "If I can get my clients to eat two servings of fruit and three servings of vegetables, I would be doing great. But for most of my clients getting them to switch from white to whole wheat is a big deal."
Americans eat too many calories and not enough veggies and fruits and choose from the wrong food groups. According to an ongoing USDA survey, on any given day 46 percent of Americans don't eat any fruit, 21 percent don't consume any milk or milk products, and the consumption of nutrient-packed dark green and deep yellow vegetables also is low.
Eat your veggies
One in five Americans (20 percent) meets the minimum requirement for eating at least five daily servings of fruits and vegetables combined. The average consumer only eats 3.6 servings daily, according to Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBHF), a nonprofit organization to encourage Americans to eat more fruits and vegetables.
Fruit consumption has decreased by nearly 14 percent throughout the past 10 years, according to PBHF. Nine out of 10 teen girls (89 percent) and 96 percent of children ages 2 to 12 fall short of the "5 A Day" minimum. Obesity levels are lowest among those who have high intakes of fruits and vegetables.
The number of Americans who are overweight or obese is climbing. At least 60 percent of Americans are overweight. And there has been a doubling of numbers of obese people during the past 20 years, raising the risk for conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure and some cancers. Also, more than 10 percent of children between the ages 2 and 5 are overweight, up from 7 percent in 1994. Physical activity also is decreasing. Poor nutrition and lack of exercise account for some 300,000 premature deaths a year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Extra weight increases risks of high blood pressure, diabetes, sleep apnea (when breathing stops for short periods of time during sleep), heart disease and stroke, some types of cancer, osteoarthritis, gallbladder disease, irregular periods, problems with pregnancy such as high blood pressure and increased risk for cesarean section.
How big is an ounce?
Here are some easy ways to understand portion sizes and eat healthier from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases:
- 1 cup of salad greens = the size of a baseball
- 1/2 cup of chopped fruit and vegetables = the size of a light bulb
- 1-1/2 ounces of cheese = the size of four dice
- 3 ounces of meat or fish = the size of a deck of cards or cassette tape
- 2 tablespoons of peanut butter = the size of a ping-pong ball
Quick breakfast ideas
- Low-fat yogurt sprinkled with low-fat granola
- Oatmeal with low-fat or fat-free milk or soy-based beverage
- Whole wheat toast with thin spread of peanut butter
- Fruit smoothie made with frozen fruit, low-fat yogurt and 100 percent juice
- Low-sugar cereal with low-fat or fat-free milk or a soy-based beverage
Easy snack ideas
- Low-fat or fat-free yogurt
- Fresh or canned fruits
- Sliced vegetables or baby carrots
- Dried fruit such as raisins and cranberries mixed with nuts (no more than a small handful)
- Air-popped popcorn sprinkled with garlic powder or other spices instead of salt and butter
- Low-sugar cereal
The American Heart Association recommends these tips for shopping and cooking:
- Use fats and oils sparingly. And use the ones lowest in saturated fat and cholesterol for cooking, baking and in spreads.
- Almond, avocado and hazelnut oils are high in monounsaturated fats, "healthy" fat that helps raise HDL levels in the body.
- Use hydrogenated shortenings (responsible for adding dangerous trans fats to the diet) sparingly. And choose those made from vegetable fat such as corn oil or canola oil, which are lower in saturated fat than animal- or vegetable-fat blends.
- Use reduced-fat or nonfat salad dressings with salads, for dips or as a marinade.
- Use cooking styles that add little or no fat to food, and ask foods be cooked that way when you eat out.
- Remember to count the "hidden fat" in bakery and snack foods, as well as the fats used in cooking and on vegetables and breads.
- Remember that coconut oil, palm oil and palm kernel oil are all high in saturated fat, even though they're vegetable oils and have no cholesterol.
- Read food labels carefully.
This article was reviewed and updated June 2007.
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