The Four Food Groups

A week or so ago I read an article...

Doctors Sue Feds for Deceptive Language on Meat, Dairy, on New Dietary Guidelines

{to review the 2010 US Dietary Guidelines click here}

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine claims that "deliberately obscure language" is used regarding foods that Americans should be "avoiding."

While no one has to convince me that the government is corrupt and that there are HUGE conflicts of interest in several government organizations, I do find this statement a little silly...

"there is no scientific basis for including meat or dairy groups in dietary guidance material" because people who avoid those foods have lower rates of diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular disease"

First, there is a difference between causation and correlation in research. Typically people who follow a vegetarian or vegan diet are extremely particular about their food, live active lifestyles, and eat a large amounts of fruits, vegetable, whole grains, and beans. This contributes to their lower rates of disease. You can still eat a plant-based diet while consuming lean meat and low fat dairy. As a nation we do consume more animal products than we need. However, I don't believe that we should encourage an entire nation to become vegan. There are people out there trying to grow and prepare the foods we eat in an ethical way. I do believe that there are components in meat and dairy that are beneficial to our bodies and I do not support such intense criticism of any one food group.

Thoughts? Do you think the Four Food Groups should replace our current Food Pyramid? Something should.

If you would like to "lean" into a more plant-based diet try the Four Week Focus!