[the gillman@blacklagoon.com]

No, it is upside down. The grains, breads pasta and cereals are what's making everyone fat and giving them high blood pressure and cholesteral and heart disease.

Maybe twenty per cent of the population can eat that stuff in quantity without adverse effects.

[Belial]

The grains, breads pasta and cereals are what's making everyone fat and giving them high blood pressure and cholesteral and heart disease.

I guess you've never been to Italy.

But Americans don't eat like Italians. Most of us eat lots of processed food, fast food and junk food. Combine that with the tendency to drive two blocks instead of walk, and constant TV and Internet use, it's no wonder Americans are turning into a nation of blimps.

Don't blame the government. Do you want reparations or something?

[rejoicing]

I agree with you..........and the conspiracy is that a lawyer for George McGovern, an animal rights, anti-meat individual pushed the pyramid until it became government-backed. There is not one scientific study that backs it up. It is ingestion of carbs and resultant insulin-resistance that causes cholesterol problems. Fat does not make fat.

[Jane G]

A great book that expounds on that and in much scientific detail is "The Zone" by Dr. Barry Sears. My spouse just attended a medical convention that went into depth on the subject matter brought out in his book.

[fogarty]

The bottom line is the food pyramid is IRRELEVANT. It doesn't matter whether it is upside down or not. The primary factor is exercise. A hundred fifty years ago, people were eating far less beef, chicken, and pork then they are now. In fact, they were eating a lot more carbos back then - simply because it was more difficult to store and obtain meat for the average family. Yet back then there was no epidemic of obesity as we see know.

The one overarching factor which can be seen is the lack of physical activity. Occam's razor would seem to indicate that the sedentary lifestyle is what leads to obesity, not necessarily what you eat. Clearly there are isolated medical cases which are out of scope here.