NIH-Funded "Food Pyramid" Rates Lucky Charms Healthier Than Steak
- meadowmistma
- Jan 9, 2023
- 2 min read
Apparently, the food pyramid is being reviewed again. You would think that is a good thing. After all the guidelines have been under some scrutiny over the years. Certainly, if we take into account the state of obesity and overall health in America one might question the recommendations on diet we have received in the past.
So when I saw this article my first reaction was, "good it's about time that the food pyramid was revised". Alas, my hopes were dashed pretty quickly when I read that Lucky Charms and Cheerios are rated as better than ground beef. But then again the making of the food pyramid has always been more influenced by industry and not by science.
Best Wishes from Farmer Lauren!
Intro by Mike Solana
A couple months back, at a small gathering of ops and tech leads hosted by Founders Fund, I met Justin Mares, the founder of True Medicine and Kettle & Fire. Over dinner, our conversation turned to diet, and to my delighted horror I learned the tale of Tufts’ insane new food recommendations. Immediately, I knew I had to share it with the Pirate Nation. Justin has made a career of nutrition, and built a national brand from his passion for health. Today, he guests with a story that cuts across many important cultural faults — the American obesity epidemic, the academic obsession with reducing meat consumption, the intersection of corporate interests and the government. This story is weird as hell, and yet perfectly unsurprising in the clown world. Bon appétit.
-Solana
A Guest Post on Pirate Wires
Founder of True Medicine, and multiple health food brands. Writer at https://justinmares.substack.com.
A few weeks ago the White House hosted a conference on hunger, nutrition and health. One of the key organizers of the conference — Dariush Mozaffarian, Dean of the Tufts School of Nutrition — had just finished spending 3 years and millions of dollars designing a new food pyramid. His findings? Lucky Charms are healthier than steak.
Americans have a massive obesity and disease problem. Are we really not understanding why?
According to the Tufts Food Compass — which they tout as “the most comprehensive and science-based nutrient profiling system to date” — Lucky Charms are healthier than whole milk, more than twice as healthy as beef, and better for you than a baked potato or cooked green peas.
See how your favorite foods rank (100 is the top score, 1 the worst) below.
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Something else worth mentioning is that diets high in refined carbohydrates and low in fiber can seriously disrupt the gut microbiome. There's this perpetuated idea that weight loss is all about calories in vs calories out but this doesn't factor in gut health. Recent research has shown that poor gut health increases sugar cravings, fat storage, and difficulty maintaining a healthy weight. If you struggle to lose weight, try introducing probiotics / beneficial bacteria to your diet and see the difference. There's a very good weight loss probiotic here which includes the best strains.
apparently harmful additives food coloring sugar are good for you according to this food compass. perhaps they should develop a food compass with people that can't be bought off, and have some common sense. there should be a warning label on coke and other beverages that contain huge amounts of sugar and any products containing man made food coloring or additives that add shelf life but might shorten your life.