Downwind“The Food Wedge?”
“The Food Wedge?”
I’ve been around long enough to see some of the USDA dietary guidelines evolve through the years. Admittedly, I missed the 1916 through 1956 recommendations, darn it. During those years, it looks like the advice was to “eat enough”.
In the 1960s and 70s: the Basic Four food groups were the big news. The food groups were not candy, candy canes, pop tarts, and syrup (someone [me] watched Elf over Christmas).
In the 80s: A fifth food group was added to highlight moderate intake of fats, sweets, and alcohol (moderate means different things to different folks). The food wheel was created: a daily pattern for daily food choices.
The Food Guide Pyramid and MyPyramid Food Guidance System were next up (The USDA graphic arts staff loved to depict these images).
On the Pyramid’s heels, MyPlate introduced dietary guidelines (more graphic art designs).
And now, hot off the press, new dietary guidelines are in the news thanks to “Make America Healthy Again” or MAHA.
The dietary message from the MAHA Feds: “We must return to the dietary basics. American households must prioritize diets build on whole, nutritious dense foods – protein, dairy, vegetables, fruits, healthy fats, and whole grains.”
The MAHA report cover featured a fancy new inverted triangle “shapes within a shape” graphic arts image. I am going to name it, “the food martini.” Catchy?
Cracking the report, I was hoping for real back-to-the-basics dietary changes I can get behind such as...
- Recommended end-of-day three scoops of moose tracks, mint chocolate chip, or vanilla ice cream.
- Recommended daily helpings of mushrooms, cheese curds, and onion rings fried in animal fat.
- Recommended weekly minimum poundage of Bit-O-Honey, Tootsie Rolls, Skittles, Snickers, and syrup.
- Recommended additional salt prior to tasting.
Disappointment. No sign of new recommendations that are allegedly not good for you.
Instead, I saw…
- Eat the right amount for you.
- The calories needed are individual based on your age, sex, height, weight, and level of physical activity.
- Drink water. Hydration is a key factor in overall health.
Also, protein was emphasized: 1.2-1.6 grams per the kilogram weight of a person is recommended daily. Being an American, I have no idea what that means so I used my handy “metric to English” Google converter. After entering my weight and learning I’m 78 kg, I calculate I can have 125 g of protein a day. Triple digits!
Yeah. I still don’t know what that means. My “metric to English” Google converter showed 125 grams is about a quarter of a pound. What a minute…who can survive on that? Just adding a slice of cheddar cheese to my quarter pounder burger pushes my daily protein over the limit?
If the MAHA advice is to increase protein, can I at least fry it? A junior-sized fried pork tenderloin sandwich would hit the spot!
(Incidentally, I did have feedback from several members who wanted to join me on the Illinois pork tenderloin trail which I wrote about in my December column. Proof again that Cook County Farm Bureau members are down-home, quality people with a little nutty on the side.)
Looking at the MAHA recommendations as a whole, they remind me of what my doctor recommends. Oh well, back to the Mediterranean diet.
The Make America Healthy Again report can be found at realfood.gov.