New Food Guidelines

BogQueen1

http://www.choosemyplate.gov/

So here's our new food guidelines. Say goodbye to the old, flawed, food pyramid. What do you think of the new 'plate'? I think it's a definite upgrade, I like the focus on fruits and vegetables instead of the base being grains, but I guess I wish that they had flipped the protein and the grain wedges. It also doesn't really address portioning, and we as a nation have a terrible 'portion distortion' going on right now.

Do you guys think that this will help in any way, shape or form to address the problems of childhood obesity? Or do you think it's going to require far more education then just sticking a plate in people's faces? What about the issue that is continually brought up of the ultra expensive healthy diet, which is kind of a myth in my opinion. Some health foods are terribly expensive, but you aren't going to find many things cheaper then a bag of beans, some frozen vegetables and chicken. Then there's the issue of 'franken foods' and anymore even things that SHOULD be pretty darn healthy have been cheapened and definitely may not be so anymore. Soy and corn fillers, soaking meat in salt solutions so it doesn't dry out as much.

Do you think the government is too far in the pockets of the big food industries to make real legislation regarding our food ever stick? Something so basic to our survival, that should be so simple, and it's a field of landmines anymore, full of hormones, GMO ingredients, chemicals, food dyes, and overall just loaded with sodium. How do we as a nation ever get back to the basics? The REAL basics of our diet, when it was odd to have to eat canned vegetables because everyone had a kitchen garden? Is that even possible with our lifestyle anymore? I have a lot of questions about our ability to feed ourselves in the future. I just don't know how we will ever reconcile the very real health problems we have which are caused almost solely by diet with the belief we as American's have that we can do whatever we want, and no one can tell us differently. Pass legislation that taxes junk food even more, and people scream bloody murder because they can't afford their pop tarts anymore.

What do you guys think?

niki87lewis

I don't live in America but I really can't understand how a healthy diet can cost so much more than a crappy diet? You don't have to buy everything fresh everyday!
And grown your own veg! We did it a'll in pots this year, tomatoes, green beans, strawberries and peppers. Hoping gondola few more this year!

BogQueen1

Well eating healthier isn't cheaper unless you go full blown organic and shop at Whole Foods all the time. It's just one of those things people like to tell themselves to justify their crappy eating I think sometimes. They can only 'afford' the $.99 bag of chips with 700 calories, which won't fill them at all, when in reality they could have bought a bag of carrots (fresh) or a couple apples, and felt fuller for much longer, on less calories.

Unless we are talking about fast food. Then you pay an ULTRA premium to eat healthy. McDonald's hamburgers can be had for a buck each. Go to some place like Au Bon Pain and get a salad, or soup and fruit, and your wallet will take a $10 hit.

blondeski

I don't live in America but I really can't understand how a healthy diet can cost so much more than a crappy diet? You don't have to buy everything fresh everyday!
And grown your own veg! We did it a'll in pots this year, tomatoes, green beans, strawberries and peppers. Hoping gondola few more this year!

I like to think about it this way: the healthy food diet cost is the standard. the unhealthy food has just become the competition.

people who grow produce and raise animals healthy and ethically deserve more money than people who employ hundreds of employees who push a button to make something unhealthy.