In January, 2005, the USDA revealed its revised food pyramid, and its Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005 (Aubrey; Dietary). It gives more specific data relating to portion size and the calories that should be consumed, and can be tailored to the individual by age, gender and physical activity level. It
stresses that there is no "one size fits all" and that it needs to be tailored for individual lifestyles and physical conditions. The pyramid gives a heavy loading to milk and milk products, and also on grains. However, milk is not necessarily a healthy food for adults, and America is the only industrialized country where it is drunk in any great quantity by adults, promoted by the dairy industry, and that may be why it is featured so strongly in the USDA food pyramid. There is no evidence that the calcium in milk protects women against osteoporosis, or strengthens bones, and high milk consumption has been linked to prostate cancer in men and ovarian cancer in women (The USDA). The pyramid also shows a heavy loading for breads, rice, pasta, cereals and crackers, yet most crackers and cereals in the U.S. are almost devoid of nutritional content. Rice is usually eaten as white rice, which has had most of the nutrients stripped from it.
The USDA has done a reasonable job in educating people about diet: it has made people more aware of the dangers of excess saturated and trans fats in the diet, has reduced the consumption of red meat, and has promoted the eating of more fruits and vegetables, which are good points (Aubrey; Dietary). Some of its recommendations have not always been good advice, and have been based on the interests of those it represents rather than on the health of the nation, but it is improving, with this latest food pyramid including exercise as an important part of a healthy lifestyle.
To eat according to the USDA recommended food pyramid highly favors the Westernized diet, which is not a healthy ...