Monday, December 05, 2005

The Healthy Eating Pyramid


Wondering what you should eat?

Trust in your government's recommendations?

You probably shouldn't.

Both the US and Canadian governments seem to believe that politics, lobbyists and industry shills are important stakeholders in the foods they recommend.

Instead of the USDA Food Pyramid and Canada's Food Guide I prefer the work of Dr. Walter Willett, the Chairman of Nutrtion at Harvard. He did what our governments should have done - he created a food pyramid based solely off of evidence-based medicine. By sifting through over 40 years of dietary research Dr. Willett created the Healthy Eating Pyramid. It's at the same time easier to follow and healthier to consume than the political equivalents created by North American governments.

Such a sad statement that Health Canada and the USDA care more about politics and industry than about the health of their nations.