A Healing Food Pyramid?

What a great idea! Food is so confusing… I don’t know if you have looked at the newish USDA food pyramid, but it is pretty simple and vague. Not to mention that they don’t talk about the difference between organic/conventional, grass-fed/factory farmed… that would be too much to ask at this point in time, I do realize.

Others are coming out with their version of food pyramids, as Melinda Hemmelgarn – the FoodSleuth (and friend we made on our trip in June), writes about in this article in the Columbia Tribune.

About the Harvard University’s new “Healthy Eating Pyramid” Melinda says, “I wouldn’t have grouped all red meat together in the “use sparingly” category either. For example, beef from a cow that has grazed solely on pasture yields nutritionally superior meat compared to that from an animal fed a diet rich in corn on a crowded feedlot. Meat from animals given growth-promoting hormones and antibiotics doesn’t belong anywhere on a healthy-eating plan.”

Another group that has attempted a food pyramid is the University of Michigan’s Integrative Medicine Program in the department of Family Medicine. And maybe they are onto something. It’s called the “Healing Foods Pyramid” and “includes only foods with known health benefits or essential nutrients. It emphasizes plant-based foods but recognizes the nutritional value of all lean meats. Their recommendation: “Choose grass-fed and hormone/ antibiotic-free (organic)” meats in moderate – 2- to 3-ounce – serving sizes.”

That’s a good recommendation!