I am so sick and tired of people falsly telling the world what to eat. I'm sick of it! Now before you continue reading this, i'm going to warm you that I do argue against the government just a little bit in this post, but I am NOT planning on protesting outside of city hall in an attempt to make a statement for change in what I truly believe in.
As many of you health minions of mine know, the USDA comes out with a little something every ten years known previously as a My Food Pyramid, although recently it has been changed into My Plate. This guide is essentially the American guideline for what healthy eating supposedly should look like. You can either look at the chart and decide what you need nutritionally based off what you eat, or you can simply go to ChooseMyPlate.gov and have it do everything for you based off of your size and level of activeness.
2005:
2011:
As this may be an excellent conversion from what it has been in the past, the opinions of the USDA have shown to be over-biased for the past couple of years. I mean, think about it. Grains can be found in a chemically-enriched and overly processed piece of bread according to their standards. Meat can easily be greasy and fried as long as its 4-6oz a serving. Not to mention that even a milkshake is considered dairy under their standards. Sounds to me like the equivalence of any fast-food restaurant i've ever walked into.
I will admit that the increase in fruits and vegetables is a plus but by their daily allowance, it could very well be one of those extremely sugary fruit cups packed in syrup that a majority of American kids currently pack in their lunches. Why would such a "loving" government who "cares" for its people ever wish to harm the citizens of out nation?
The answer is actually incredibly simple and has been going on since the foundation of our country. The United States Department of Agriculture gets a large bit of its money from big-buisness farmers and drug companies. When food began to become studied in the late 20th century, protein was thought to be the absolute most important thing for you. Everyone needed protein and you couldn't be strong without it. Meat, being a sufficient source of protein, was then raised and bred to feed our nation. It has always been about getting as much protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and whatever else we've been told, despite the source of our information.
What we fail to realize is that our bodies need good, whole food to be sustainable instead of the overly processed chemical dumps our bodies have been put into. "FIBER" in big bold letters on the box catches your attention and you automaticlly think thats what you need for a healthy diet. So what is it do we need?
Do we need foods that have been grown in horrible conditions and covered with pesticides?
No.
Do we need food that has been canned, cooked, or processed?
No.
Do we need "enriched" foods where all of the healthy parts are replaced with man-made chemical vitamins and minerals?
No!!
Do we need sugary fiber bars and get-slim-now milkshakes?
HECK NO!!! (They taste gross anyway)
We need food that is not only going to bring nourish and sustain our bodies, as well as are going to fill our soil back with nutrients. We need foods that don't require the counting of calories to keep the weight off. What we need for optimum health is food that will teach us to trust our bodies so that we cleanse ourself out and learn to trust our bodies and know what we need. Optimum health is not going on a diet and getting a few nutrients a day. Nutrition can even be a cure for any illness you may have when done right. Getting more and more of one nutrient is not what we need.
Perfect health is when all of the nutrients in your body work together in perfect harmony. So sorry My Pyramid. Sorry to mess up your little USDA plan. Lets see what you guys come up with next time.
-Andrew D. Morrison
No comments:
Post a Comment