Replies

Below is an excellent WSJ article about the pyramid. http://www.atkinsdietcd.com/html/refined_carbohydrate_risks_-_l.html Below this news story are about 100 links alerting you to the dangers of Refined Carbohydrates causing obesity, and examples of those foods. Also check out Dangers of a "Diabetic" Diet. The Government's Food Pyramid Correlates to Obesity, Critics Say By JILL CARROLL Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL With obesity reaching epidemic proportions in the U.S., some critics say it's the government's food pyramid that should go on a diet. Certainly Dr. Atkins' work has fueled this debate over the last decade, bringing changes to the government's recommendations for carbohydrate daily intake. The pyramid, dating from 1991, pictorially reflects the U.S. Department of Agriculture's guidelines on what Americans should eat every day to maintain a healthy weight. From a broad base of six to 11 servings of food in the grains-and-carbohydrates group, the pyramid narrows upward to fewer servings of vegetables and fruits, to fewer still of such foods as milk and meat. Finally, at the pyramid's pointed top are fats, oils and sweets, which consumers are advised to "eat sparingly." While the government has stood by this regimen for 11 years, some critics say it's no coincidence that the number of overweight Americans has risen 61% since the pyramid was introduced -- and almost instantaneously appeared on the sides of pasta boxes, bread wrappers and packages of other food products in the pyramid's six-to-11-servings category. David S. Ludwig, an obesity researcher at Children's Hospital in Boston, says the pyramid and guidelines focus too much on reducing fat. He says people are getting fat because they are eating too many refined carbohydrates, such as those in white bread, that make them feel hungrier later so they overeat. The habitual consumption of foods with refined carbohydrates "may increase risk for obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease," he wrote in a May article in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Steven Christensen, an official at the USDA's Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, says the pyramid represents guidelines for healthy eating -- not the next fad diet. "It wasn't meant as a way to reduce your weight, but if you eat this way, you're going to be all right." The debate is particularly relevant in that the USDA currently is reviewing its dietary guidelines, as it does every five years. It's an exercise that attracts not only critics from the world of medicine but industry lobbyists and those promoting the virtues of various food groups and diets. During the last revision, the advisory committee considered changing the 1995 recommendation of adhering to a diet "moderate" in salt and sugar to "eating less salt and sugar." The powerful sugar industry fought the change, and the guidelines now tell consumers to "moderate your intake of sugars." (The "less salt" revision stuck.) Unlike the guidelines, the pyramid isn't reviewed periodically. But the USDA decided recently to review the pyramid's serving sizes and try to make the depiction clearer for the guide's 10th anniversary -- an exercise that has produced a flood of suggestions. Among the most vocal of the pyramid's critics is Walter Willett, chairman of the Harvard School for Public Health's nutrition department. "The pyramid really ignored 40 years of data and condemned all fats and oils," he says. While the pyramid indicates that only fat calories count, Dr. Willet says, "calories are calories." He and other critics say the government's focus on reducing calories from fat has helped propel sales of low-fat foods that still pack a lot of calories -- SnackWell cookies, for example, and potato chips made with the fake fat Olestra. "That probably has contributed to the explosion in obesity," says Dr. Willett, who is an unpaid consultant on a clinical trial comparing low-fat and low-carbohydrate diets. The trial is funded by the Robert C. Atkins Foundation, which advocates the Atkins low-carbohydrate diet. But many mainstream dietitians argue that the Atkins low-carbohydrate diet is dangerous because it has too much fat and that cutting out any food group isn't healthy. Plus, there have been no long-term studies on the effects of the diet and whether people can keep the weight off. Some experts think other parts of the pyramid need changes as well. Some suggest beans be removed from the meat category, where they are placed because of their protein content, and moved to the vegetable category. If bottled-water companies get the government to issue specific advice to drink more water in the 2005 guidelines, as they are trying to do, that, too, could alter the pyramid. And then there is exercise. "What I would like to see chiseled in the side of the pyramid are steps" and someone running up them to emphasize exercise, says Alice Lichtenstein, a professor of nutrition at Tufts University in Boston and a member of the committee that drew up the 2000 dietary guidelines. While the 40-page dietary-guidelines booklet advocates physical activity, the pyramid has no such message. Ms. Lichtenstein also says the dairy products pictured on the pyramid should be designated as low-fat or nonfat. "There's probably no one over the age of two that needs full fat [dairy products]," she says. It will be years before all the complaints are weighed, but the USDA, at least for now, doesn't seem inclined to abandon the basic premise that a low-fat diet is healthiest. "You can't pinpoint the cause of obesity … to carbohydrates," says the USDA's Mr. Christensen. Beyond the debate over fats and carbohydrates, many nutrition experts say the pyramid needs to better define serving size to be effective. Most people don't realize that one USDA-size grain serving is about the size of a mini bagel, says Marion Nestle, chairman of the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies at New York University. She also says the pyramid "emphases grain products too heavily without specifying whole grains ... They're not talking about white bread." Suzanne Murphy, a nutrition researcher at the University of Hawaii and vice chairman of the advisory panel that wrote the 2000 dietary guidelines, worries that consumers don't realize that all foods within a food group are not equally healthy. She is concerned consumers look at the recommended six-to-11 grain servings and "think that means six to 11 servings of cakes and cookies." Meanwhile, consumers are trying to sort through the conflicting messages. "Every year they come up with a style for the way people should eat … if you go by their [advice] you'll go crazy," says Roy Thompson, 50 years old, as he finishes a recent lunch at a Sbarro's pizza restaurant in Washington. A few tables away, Marilyn Maxwell, 62, has ordered pasta and salad. Is she an adherent of the food pyramid? "I really don't pay a bit of attention to it," she says SELECTED LINKS FROM A SPECIALIZED GOOGLE SEARCH WHICH SHOWS YOU THE RAMPANT ATTACK ON REFINED CARBOHYDRATES. THESE LINKS CONTAIN SEVERAL EXAMPLES OF REFINED CARBOHYDRATE FOODS AND THE LATEST ATTACKS ON THEM BY EXPERTS. Dr. Atkins ... may be true – if we are talking about foods made with refinedcarbohydrates (think white ... It's true that Dr. Willett has criticized the USDA food pyramid ... www.cbass.com/Atkins.htm - 14k - Low Carb Research & Studies - Meet 'Age-Defying' Dr. Atkins ... not saturated fat, but refinedcarbohydrates.". An earlier HealthSCOUT story, Beef is back, tells more about the Atkins diet. You can see the USDA Food Pyramid ... www.lowcarb.ca/articles/article166.html - 25k - HPH NOW, August 24, 2001, Nutrition Book Author Willett Rebuilds ... ... Stay away from refinedcarbohydrates and sugars and keep an eye on the calories, whether from fat or ... The current official USDA food pyramid is at the bottom. ... www.hsph.harvard.edu/now/aug24/ - 12k - Mar 3, 20 CBS News | Time To Rebuild The Food Pyramid? | November 22, 2002 ... ... The USDA also is reviewing new nutrient recommendations from the National Academies ... Stay away from refinedcarbohydrates and sugars and keep an eye on the... www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/11/21/ earlyshow/health/main530366.shtml - 39k - Mar 3, 2003 - Feature Article ... changes to the pyramid reflect his objection to the USDA's strategy of ... As for refined carbohydrates like white rice, white bread, potatoes, and pasta, Willett... www.infoaging.org/feat14.html - 26k - Boston Globe Online / Table of Contents ... For instance, Americans who load up on refinedcarbohydrates, including supposedly ... been getting steadily fatter, often without violating USDA guidelines, noted ... www.boston.com/globe/columns/ foreman/archive/073101.htm - 23k - Mar 3, 2003 - ERS/USDA Briefing Room - Food Consumption ... US Per Capita Food Supply Trends: More Calories, RefinedCarbohydrates, and Fats—ERS's ... ERS analyzed data from the USDA's Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by ... www.ers.usda.gov/briefing/consumption/ - 35k - Mar 3, 2003 - —Introducing the New Food PyramidResearchers Believe There is a ... ... The USDA Pyramid fails to distinguish between a plateful of pasta and ... championed by Tufts researcher, Susan B. Roberts, hold that refinedcarbohydrates cause a ... nutrition.tufts.edu/publications/ matters/2001-10-01.shtml - 13k - Mar 3, 2003 - Media Updates, January 2003 ... Megan McCrory, Ph.D., a scientist at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition ... to be low in fiber, high in calories, fat, and refinedcarbohydrates, and includes ... nutrition.tufts.edu/publications/updates/ - 16k - The problem with pyramids - JAN 28, 2003 ... released by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in 1992 ... even though there are significant differences between refinedcarbohydrates like white ... straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/health/ story/0,4395,168369,00.html - 25k - Mar 3, 2003 - Mekong Mart. New Food Pyramid ... People also tend to replace fat in their diets with foods high in sugar or refined carbohydrates. ... The USDA Food Pyramid has been around for nearly a decade. ... www.mekongmart.com/Services/ SE3Fat%20New%20Food%20Pyramid.htm - 12k - The Government's Food Pyramid Correlates to Obesity, Critics Say ... The habitual consumption of foods with refinedcarbohydrates "may increase risk for ... Steven Christensen, an official at the USDA's Center for Nutrition Policy ... www.karlloren.com/diet/p109.htm - 46k About Health TV ... Dr. Willett says the USDA Pyramid suggests using fats sparingly, but, doesn ... Dr. Willett explains that a diet high in refinedcarbohydrates (white bread, white ... www.abouthealth.com/ahtv_details.cfm?Topic_Title=6 - 23k - R&D: Discover Dialogue: Walter Willett ... white rice, white bread, white pasta--which are the base of the USDA pyramid. ... Second, refinedcarbohydrates tend to cause rapid, high spikes of blood glucose. ... www.discover.com/mar_03/breakdialogue.html - 17k - Mar 3, 2003 - WebMD - Experts: Food Pyramid Diet Not So Health After All ... People also tend to replace fat in their diets with foods high in sugar or refinedcarbohydrates," he says. ... John Webster, spokesman, USDA. ...my.webmd.com/content/Article/ 61/67434.htm?printing=true - 13k - Mar 3, 2003 - University of Pennsylvania : Research at Penn : Society :: ... ... and low-cholesterol snacks that, while low in fat, are high in sugar and refined carbohydrates. Some have been so unhappy with the USDA's recommendations that ... www.upenn.edu/researchatpenn/article.php?595&soc - 34k - Mar 3, 2003 - The Penn Current / February 13, 2003 / Penn experts weigh in on ... ... Several critics have even recently pinned the crisis on the USDA's Food Guide ... snacks that, while low in fat, are high in sugar and refinedcarbohydrates.... www.upenn.edu/pennnews/current/ 2003/021303/feature4.html - 17k - Mar 3, 2003 - Low Carb Luxury: Article Reprints ... Eating refinedcarbohydrates is not good for anybody ... Here are the 10 new dietary guidelines issued this week by the USDA, followed by a critique of each:... www.lowcarbluxury.com/lc-article020.html - 11k - Food Pyramid Blocks Re-examine ... The USDA food pyramid does not differentiate between the types of ... with whole grains are better for cardiovascular health than refinedcarbohydrates found in ... www.healthatoz.com/healthatoz/Atoz/ hl/nutr/food/alert01172003.html - 39k - Mar 3, 2003 - Welcome to the AIM Gateway ... The USDA has promoted ... affecting 'good' cholesterol levels.People also tend to replace fat in their diets with foods high in sugar or refinedcarbohydrates.... www.aim-digest.com/gateway/pages/ book/articles/healthy.htm - 14k - 40 ... muscle compared to the group following the traditional USDA-recommended diet ... diet (fewer total and fewer rapidly absorbed, highly refinedcarbohydrates) and 43 ... www.zonefreshdelivery.com/article/new_page_13.htm - 8k - InteliHealth: ... few areas in which Dr. Willett's new Healthy Eating Pyramid and the USDA's pyramid converge. ... To avoid this scenario, eat less sugar and refinedcarbohydrates.... www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/ WSIHW000/14220/29837.html - 65k - HSR - Health Supplement Retailer 03/03: Mediawatch ... Differences between the two pyramids include: While USDA suggests consuming six to 11 ... grain foods at most meals and to use refinedcarbohydrates as sparingly ... www.hsrmagazine.com/articles/331media.html - 24k - Mar 3, 2003 - Over consumption of Sugar is a cause of fatigue ... Not only is sugar a major culprit, the consumption of refinedcarbohydrates that quickly ... Unbelievable as it seems, according to the USDA, in 1989 the average ... www.naturalways.com/sugar.htm - 16k - The Sacramento Bee -- sacbee.com -- The great Pyramid: Under ... ... A diet high in refinedcarbohydrates, he argues, tends to be digested too quickly, with consequences ... The most fundamental problem with the USDA pyramid is ... www.sacbee.com/content/lifestyle/taste/ story/4166680p-5189433c.html - 46k - A Taste for Life ... children who eat foods high in sugar and other refinedcarbohydrates or who ...USDA food pyramid; Informational food cards; Fun, interactive games and exercises. ... www.peacemaking.org/nutritionconsult.html - 14k - New Recommended Daily Allowances ... Updated guidelines will be issued from the USDA based on the Food and ... chronic disease risk, and what role, if any, sugar and refinedcarbohydrates should play ... www.jhsph.edu/Press_Room/Press_Releases/ diet_exercise.html - 23k - Mar 3, 2003 - Diabetes In Control Dot Com. ... fewer total and fewer rapidly absorbed, highly refinedcarbohydrates) and 43 ... School recently concluded that closely following the USDA recommendations provided ... www.diabetesincontrol.com/friedman/ prescription4success.shtml - 101k - Diabetes In Control Dot Com. The weekly newsletter for medical ... ... There are few long-term studies documenting any diet's benefits, and, until recently, there has been little if any data regarding the USDA recommendations. ... www.diabetesincontrol.com/friedman/Macronutrient.shtml - 101k - Low Fat Legend? From ABCNews.com ...USDA Food Pyramid (ABCNEWS.com ... At the pyramid's base are the foods considered the staple of the healthy low-fat diet: refinedcarbohydrates such as bread, cereal ... www.karel-andrew.com/KARELCHANNEL/ subpages/weight/lowcarbabc.html - 13k YOU ARE PROBABLY AN ADDICT AND DON- ... only is sugar a major culprit, the consumption of refinedcarbohydrates that quickly ... According to the USDA, people consuming 2,000 calories a day should eat no ... www.envirodocs.com/you_are_probably_an_addict.htm - 14k - [PDF]VII. Nutrition and Food Assistance- File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - ... This policy has encompassed, and USDA has admin- istered, an array ... dietary problem today is overconsumption of fat, sodium, refinedcarbohydrates, and calories ... www.usda.gov/news/pubs/farmpolicy01/chapter7.pdf - Harvard Study Shows Half Serving of Peanut Butter or Full Serving ...- ... food sources of saturated fatty acids, as well as refinedcarbohydrates, in the ...USDA research shows that all peanut butters, including commercial and natural ... www.peanut-institute.org/112602_PR.html - 10k - Healthy Eating- ... The five food groups in the USDA Food Pyramid give you a concrete ...Refined carbohydrates are found in table sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, and other sweeteners ... www.gnc.com/health_notes/Healthy_Eating/ Healthy_Eating.htm - 30k - IET Ed Bauman- ... It is a significant upgrade to the USDA Food Pyramid, that continues to endorse refinedcarbohydrates, commercial meat and dairy products. ... www.iet.org/edbauman.html - 18k - Mar 3, 2003 - Losing Weight Today And Not Tomorrow.: Carbohydrates vs. protein ...- ... the development of the government's Dietary Guidelines for Americans (USDA, 1990), which ... contend that we're putting away too many refinedcarbohydrates in the ... www.imakenews.com/weightlosscontrol/ e_article000018534.cfm - 31k - What's Wrong with the New Pyramid- ... To reinforce its apparent acceptance of animal-derived foods, the USDA issued a pamphlet about the pyramid that states, "No one food group is more important ... www.renewalresearch.com/con_ren_diet_wrongpyramid.htm - 12k - Chapter 6; The Anti-Aging Diet for Optimum Health and Longevity- ... They also admonished the USDA to refrain from endorsing the consumption of ... But you do need to distinguish them from refinedcarbohydrates--white sugar, white ... www.renewalresearch.com/book/the_anti-aging_diet.html - 28k - [DOC]Cancer Experts Warn Against Eliminating Either Fat or Carbs to ...- File Format: Microsoft Word 6 - ... This hotly debated hypothesis suggests that refinedcarbohydrates such as those found in white sugar, white rice and processed ... A chart of USDA standard serving ... www.aicr.org/r081502.doc - Dr. Bob Arnot's Revolutionary Weight Control Program- ...Refinedcarbohydrates such as those in white flour breads, bagels, muffins and snack ... reports such as the US Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Healthy Eating ... www.wheatfoods.org/nut_info/drarnot.html - 19k - How They Compare- ... Authors' Background USDA and Health and Human Services dietitians and nutritionists ...Refined carbohydrates are described as the food equivalent of "crack" and ... www.wheatfoods.org/nut_info/comp.html - 22k Health News - Straight Talk on the Medical Headlines ... whole grains, which provide the best nutritional value, but refinedcarbohydrates, such as ... A frequent criticism of the USDA pyramid is that it lumps together ... www.healthnewswebsite.com/pyramid.html - 12k - Columbia Missourian: Food Pyramid ... With more Americans overweight, the USDA has seen an increase in diabetes ... It doesn't differentiate from whole grains and more refinedcarbohydrates," she says. ... www.jour.missouri.edu/digmo.nsf/stories/ 8F506AB839894D0F86256C470067F142?OpenDocument - 11k - Chromium Daily Suppliments ... shown to have effects on cravings for sugar and other refinedcarbohydrates which can ... Based on the data given by the USDA's Dr. Richard Anderson, the reason ... members.aol.com/profchm/henry.html - 10k - Chromium ... And consumption of sugars and refinedcarbohydrates, a major part of many athletes diets ... Dr. Walter Mertz, former director of the USDA Human Nutrition Research ... www.liverenewedlife.com/chromium_diabetes_order.htm - 50k - #1 Weight Loss - More protein might be what you need. ... program offering a higher protein percentage than the USDA Food Pyramid? ... Atkins diet (a ketogenic diet) restricts processed or refinedcarbohydrates -- such as ... www.number-one-weight-loss.com/diettypes/protein.htm - 10k - Food & Nutrition - Nutrition Topics: Special Issues: Fad Diets: ... ... Arnot claims that "Refinedcarbohydrates such as those in white flour breads, bagels ... reports such as the US Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Healthy Eating ... www.fcs.okstate.edu/food/nutrition/issues/ fad-diets/prot_carb-cont.htm - 24k - Geriatric Times ... University and associate director of the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition ... Russell cautioned against refinedcarbohydrates because they are "generally lower in ... www.geriatrictimes.com/g000823.html - 25k - Mar 3, 2003 - Dangers of a "Diabetic" Diet ... The emphasis is similar to the USDA food pyramid, which calls for 6 ... of the carbohydrates Americans consume consist of highly refinedcarbohydrates and sugars ... www.syndrome-x.com/diabetic_diet_dangers.html - 8k - Mar 3, 2003 - [NursingHands - A Web site for Nurses and Nursing Professionals. ... ... foods considered the staple of the healthy low-fat diet: refinedcarbohydrates such as ... Moreover, following the low-fat/high-carb diet of the USDA Food Pyramid ... www.nursinghands.com/news/newsstories/1003507.asp - 28k - The smart diabetes diet ... of what a healthy diet looks like by following the USDA Food Guide ... Whole grains and other high-fiber foods are better choices than refinedcarbohydrates.... www.medformation.com/mf/stayhealthy.nsf/article/14874 - 22k - Juices ... nutrient provide between 10 and 20% of the USDA Recommended Daily ... to such infections) to limit their intake of sugar, fruit juices, and refinedcarbohydrates.... www.mycustompak.com/healthNotes/Food_Guide/Juices.htm - 16k - Histand.net ... recommendations: USDA Web Site Here are the problems I see with the USDA Guide: ... Stay away from any refinedcarbohydrates or starchy vegetables like the plague. ... www.histand.net/articles/weight_loss - 22k - Rebuilding the food pyramid ... calories"--that is, no vitamins, minerals or other nutrients--complex carbohydrates form the base of the USDA food pyramid. But refinedcarbohydrates, such as ... vienna-doctor.com/ENG/rebuilding_food_pyramid.html - 40k - Low Carb Pavilion - Low Carb Diet Information - Lose Weight and ... ... members who are obese, the food pyramid recommendations of the USDA will work ... to lose weight can be quite balanced--just stay away from refinedcarbohydrates.... wilstar.net/lowcarb/ - 46k - Mar 3, 2003 - Harvard Goes Low Carb? ... glycemic load. ". 3. The current official Food Guide Pyramid encourages us to eat too many high-GI refinedcarbohydrates. "Eat lots ... bestlowcarbs.com/article1101.html - 12k - The Sugar Free Hoax - Most Sugar Free Snacks are Loaded with ... ... Food manufacturers are misleading the public when they label a product as 'sugar free' if that product contains other refinedcarbohydrates....... www.wilstar.net/sugarfree/ - 14k - NEWS ... There will be a period during which the USDA, the source of a substantial ... More study is needed, but in the meantime avoidance of refinedcarbohydrates in favor ... medicine.tufts.edu/oit/news101399.html - 9k - Monkeyman Weblog ... TILE" "# Researchers have found that a high intake of refinedcarbohydrates such as ... The inclusion of potatoes as a vegetable in the USDA pyramid has ... www.bagofholding.com/~monkeyman/ - 28k