By Ann L.
It's been a month now since USDA launched its new food icon that replaces the familiar but increasingly confusing food pyramid. It is neatly sectioned into areas for fruits, vegetables, grains, protein, and dairy. But how does this compare to what American's are actually eating? The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans lists the top 25 sources of calories in the American diet. The top 10 are:
Grain-based desserts*
Yeast breads
Chicken and chicken mixed dishes
Soda/energy/sports drinks
Pizza
Alcoholic beverages
Pasta and pasta dishes
Tortillas, burritos, tacos
Beef and beef mixed dishes
Dairy desserts
*cakes, cookies, pies, cobbler, sweet rolls, pastries, donuts
It is not surprising that fruits and vegetables are nowhere to be found on this list given their low energy density, but what does it say that our number one source of calories is desserts? What are your thoughts on the new icon?
Perhaps the actual American plate looks something like this:
3 Comments
Hi Ann. This is quite disheartening, yet not surprising. The typical american diet has a long way to go to get to where it should be.
I think that a good way to look at nutrition is just to remember the term "whole foods". Single-ingredient foods are what we need to be eating. Many of them are included in the major categories on the USDA's new food plate.
Ann... That’s a horrible plate. I'm not surprised if obesity becomes the biggest problem in America. Well, this should not entirely blame the people because the government itself does not regulate nutrients. Many examples exist all around us... I also often hear the information that the food label in supermarkets is wrong. Is this true? If true, I think it would be difficult to run a diet program from USDA.
While I completely agree that Americans have a generally poor diet, looking at the top 25 sources of calories may not be a fair way to compare foods since F&V are rich in water and low in calories. I wonder what the top 25 sources of food in terms of volume look like.....