Ah, the trusty food pyramid, the definitive guide to a balanced diet. Introduced to us from an early age, it’s hard to argue with information that’s been doing the rounds for so long. And it’s endorsed by the relevant government authorities, and governments never misinform the public…wait, what?

The food pyramid has long the been considered the best representation of what a “healthy”  diet should look like. Divided into sections of the various food groups, it aims to give each person a guide of what their daily diet should constitute.

  • Foods and drinks high in fat, sugar and salt – NOT EVERY DAY
  • Fats, spreads and oils – IN VERY SMALL AMOUNTS
  • Meat, poultry, fish, eggs, beans and nuts –  2 SERVINGS DAILY
  • Milk, yogurt and cheese –  3 SERVINGS DAILY
  • Vegetables, salad and fruit – 5-7 SERVINGS DAILY
  • Wholemeal cereals and breads, potatoes, pasta and rice – 5-7 SERVINGS DAILY

That’s pretty much it, and although you might find a few slightly different versions depending on what resource you use, the above list is a very accurate representation of a standard food pyramid.

Before I go any further, I recognize that the food pyramid is intended as a guide and not a definitive diet plan for each and every person. Nonetheless, these “guidelines” are skewed no matter what way you look at it.

Anyone with a basic knowledge of nutrition will be familiar with the following terms…carbohydrates (which provide energy for the brain and muscles), proteins (which are the building blocks of every structure in the body, used for repair of tissues) and finally fats (necessary for hormone production, cell function and lubrication of joints). That’s a simple explanation – feel free to research these in more detail!

Proteins and fats, they’re essential to survival; without sufficient amounts our bodies simply cannot function.

Carbohydrates, they’re non-essential. Sure, they’re used very readily by the body as an energy source, but strictly speaking they’re no more “essential” than the gadget you’re reading this blog from i.e. you could survive without it!

This information is PROVEN to be correct – do a quick google search if you’re still in doubt.

So, this begs the question: why does our beloved food pyramid advocate consuming a high proportion of non-essential nutrients (in the form of carbohydrates) and a much lower proportion of the essential nutrients (proteins and fats)?

It has been postulated that food manufacturers invented the food pyramid because of the huge profit margin in grains. Man was not designed to eat cereals; after all, they are grasses.

Consider the following analogy…Say 12:00 a.m. last night was the birth of our first ancestors, and right now it’s one second before midnight. For 23 hours and 57 minutes our ancestors survived and thrived on vegetables, meat, eggs, fruit, nuts and seeds. At 11:57 p.m.,  farming commenced, people began eating starch and sugars. About 3 seconds ago, people began eating processed carbohydrates. Only right now, just 1 second before midnight, did humans start getting the majority of their nutrition from manufactured starch — and sweetener-based food products. This means that the diet which is recommended by our government was not possible for 99.7 percent of humanity’s entire history!

Our diet up to that point was and should still be based on lean proteins, vegetables, fruit, nuts and seeds and the natural oils they contain.

Our current diet, our so-called “balanced diet”, is making us fatter and sicker. Even if you make allowances for the fact that a large proportion of the population disregard the food pyramid entirely, the cold hard truth remains: we are encouraged to consume a diet high in grains/refined carbohydrates and chemically enhanced, processed crap – take a look up and down the aisles in any supermarket and you’ll see what I mean.

The healthiest, fittest people on earth sure as hell don’t follow the guidelines set out in the food pyramid, and neither should you. Lean proteins, fish, meat, vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds should make up the bulk of your diet. These foods have a proven track record, 2 million years to be precise.

And have you ever seen a fat caveman? Didn’t think so!

This is Shane McDonald for Muscle Eire

 

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