Diet Analysis Since the Conception

Diet Analysis

Since the conception of the food pyramid by the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) in the 1960s and its inception in 1992, "the familiar, black triangle, found on the majority of boxes of foods at the supermarket, has been an expected sight to our generation" (Greene). It is the icon of nutrition for an entire country, and children are indoctrinated as soon as their innocent minds happen through the door of their first public school. To complete its universality, the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990 (as revised in 1994) requires it to be placed on all packaging without special exception.

While there can be no denying that the food pyramid has done its share in advising the American public of certain basic ideas about nutrition, it has also done its share of harm. According Scientific American in an article titled, 'Rebuilding the Food Pyramid,' "since 1992 more and more research has shown that the USDA pyramid is grossly flawed" (Willett 23).

The disparity between the stream of correct information from various health and nutrition organizations (for instance, most Americans know that saturated fat is less healthy than fat in general) and the erroneous ubiquity of the food pyramid (few Americans understand the difference between monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, and saturated fats) has led to the coexistence of two prevailing but contradicting nutritional ideologies. The first is that which is outlined in the food pyramid. The second is a haphazardly dashed-together motley collection of facts gleaned from the advertisement efforts of nutritional research organizations.

My one-day caloric total (for October 16th) was 1275 Calories. According to the often-toted two-thousand calorie diet, I fulfilled a mere 63.75% of my caloric duties; however, Scientific American points out that "the best way to avoid obesity is to limit your total calories, not just the fat calories" (Willett 26).

On the same day, I consumed fifty-six grams of fat (86.15% DV); eighteen grams of saturated fat (90% DV), eleven grams of polyunsaturated fat, and sixteen grams of monounsaturated fat. Fat, the convention harbinger of nutritional ruin, is comfortably below the allowed amount. Unfortunately, "nutritionists [have] long known that some types of fat are essential to health and can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease" (Willett 23), which means that in the name of dietary betterment it is possible that I have deprived myself of vital nutrients.

To take a brief venture from dietary analysis, it is worth mentioning that the fundamental adage of construction (whether biological, social, or nutritional) -- that is to say, that form follows function -- is mostly ignored when it comes to fat. Saturated fat is particularly unhealthy because the hydrogen bonds have all been filled with an atom of hydrogen, resulting in a stiff molecule that takes up more space laterally and is more likely to cause arterial blockage. This fact is reflected in the food pyramid by recommending a lower quantity per diem.

What it fails to address is that the more hydrogen bonds are incomplete in the fat molecule, the more flexible it becomes, and therefore the less harmful. Dividing the remained of fats into "monounsaturated" and "polyunsaturated" is more than misleading; it is downright irresponsible.

October 16th brought with it 159 grams of carbohydrates. This is pleasing to Scientific American, which not only made the aforementioned statement about the benefits of lowering overall caloric intake, but also states that "scientists [have] found little evidence that a high intake of carbohydrates is beneficial" (Willett 23). Of course, it is anything but pleasing to the food pyramid, which flatly recommends almost twice that amount per day.

Happily, the six grams of fiber in my diet pleased nobody. Dietary fiber intake is certainly an area for concern in my diet, and I am pleasantly surprised by the clarity of that fact. Perhaps bran muffins or kidney beans would be met with a warm welcome in my digestive system.

The forty grams of protein consumed were an area for concern. The food pyramid and daily values says very little about protein, and conventional wisdom has stayed relatively quiet as well. American Fitness writer Nancy Clerk advices between 1/2 of a gram and ae of a gram per pound of body weight for a "recreational exerciser" (Clerk). This put me far short of the mark.

The matter is complicated by the fact that foods only list whole proteins in the nutrition facts. In third world countries where food is scarce and meat is at a premium, the primary fare is rice and beans, which combine to form a complete protein.

The primary failing of the food pyramid is that the USDA was under pressure to communicate simply to a vast number of people with varying ages, levels of education, and backgrounds. "Nutritionists fell victim to a desire to simplify their dietary recommendations" (Willett 23). Ultimately, dietary concepts must be applied at an individual level. The issue with my diet was not too little or too much of anything; rather, it was a saturation of unhealthy foods with a high percentage of saturated fat and a minimal amount of protein and a modest amount of carbohydrates. While the low calorie-count was indeed a positive attribute, it would be more prudent to choose a diet lower in saturated fat and higher in complex carbohydrates, protein, and fiber.

Vitamins and minerals are exempt from the food pyramid. Apparently due to irreducible complexity, most Americans conduct their supplementary-substance lives with an only a handful of half-baked stereotypes to guide them. Still, these conventions are often just accurate enough to be helpful.

A lack of vitamin C causes scurvy. In fact, sailors found that after their organic rations had been depleted, the only available cure to Cheadle's disease was seaweed, a plant which (as it happens) is high in vitamin C the majority of Americans firstly lack access to seaweed, and secondly have access to plenty of additional sources thereof. It is the best publicized of all the vitamins, and supplements are abundant. While the average vitamin C intake for the week of October 10th and October 16th was only two thirds of the RDA (recommended daily allowance) of sixty milligrams, 500mg supplements are common and can be taken as needed.

Vitamin D can be found in whole milk. This stereotype was founded when the milk industry found itself without a politically correct name for milk from which no fat had been removed. The term "Vitamin D Milk" is now in household usage. Of the recommended five micrograms of vitamin D, I ate only.309, or less then ten percent of the recommended daily allowance. However, a reasonable amount of exposure to sunlight allows the skin to produce sufficient vitamin D, and the supplementation of eggs or whole milk to my diet can alleviate any harmful deficiency.