Have you ever had one of those moments… Someone asks you a question that seems very simple, but you know that if you answer it, it opens up 100 more questions?
After explaining my feelings about why counting calories doesn’t work to my friend, I think he was having a bit of a paradigm shift regarding his health, nutrition, and weight loss. I had just created a monster and I knew more questions would come my way!
The penny had dropped and all was not as it seemed in the world of weight loss and marketing. He began to understand that nutrient-dense foods were paramount when it came to losing weight, not counting calories. He also began to realize that most of his daily diet consisted of foods that were not rich in nutrients. He was loaded with refined grains, white flour, and starches like breads, pastas, rice, etc.
So here comes the next question… What about the food pyramid? Actually, I wasn’t eating more than the somewhat vague prescription advocated by the food pyramid. However, she was not losing weight.
This was my answer to why I thought the food pyramid sucked. This is why…
CATTLE
Ironically my answer was this – Do you have any idea how hard it is to find quality grass-fed beef these days?
It’s because farmers fatten their cattle on grain and corn. They can do this in weeks. As I understand it, they struggle to do this when a cow eats what she’s supposed to (grass). I think it’s a safe bet that we can apply this theory to us humans too!
If you want a pyramid-shaped body, I suggest you follow the conventional advice.
In my opinion, it is better to turn it around for better health and better body shape.
IS THE FOOD PYRAMID HEALTHY?
The food pyramid was first published in 1974 in Sweden. The best known food pyramid was introduced by the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) in 1992.
The first question I ask then is this: Would the US Department of Agriculture have a vested interest in promoting grains as their main food source?
dietitians and the nutritionists who promote the food pyramid are the same ones who design menus for hospital food and school lunches. I spent most of the beginning of this year visiting the hospital every day and was appalled at what the dietitians were feeding patients. It is not my intention in any way to undermine the hospital staff as they went above and beyond the call of duty to help care for someone I loved dearly. But I don’t agree with the system that promotes this type of nutrition.
As far as I can see, no human society in history has been eating a diet remotely resembling what I saw in the hospital, and the same goes for schools for that matter.
TOP OF THE FOOD PYRAMID
If you look at the top of the pyramid, you have a picture of a small amount of fat, which instantly promotes a low-fat diet. Fats are placed next to sweets! This is serious?
There is not even a differentiation of the types of fats. It is now common knowledge that certain fats are essential for optimal health and brain function. There’s a world of difference between cold-pressed coconut oil and a hydrogenated margarine spread! (I wrote a post about fats here).
I believe that fats from a natural source can actually help with weight loss, reduce the risk of heart disease, lower blood sugar, and even lower cholesterol.
GO AGAINST THE FLOW
I asked my friend if he really felt like he was eating healthy every day. He said he felt like it wasn’t too bad…a little rough around the edges, but he said it was okay anyway.
I then asked him what he ate yesterday and it was a typical diet that I see all too often. Muesli for breakfast (read here to find out why this is just a sugar fix). She ran out the door and was in the car driving most of the morning. She ate the mid-morning snacks (her breakfast of hers fed her appetite but not her body) and ate a ‘healthy’ muesli bar (contains so much sugar you might as well have eaten a mars bar). Then it was a late lunch which was ham salad focaccia bread with no butter! That night when he came home exhausted he ate prepackaged vegetable lasagna.
I see this every day and I think this is why her energy is low and she is not shifting weight along with so many other people I see struggling. Not only that, I believe this will also compromise your health over time. It’s a bit like carrying a backpack on your back with someone following you throwing small stones into it from time to time. It’s too little to notice each one, but you know something isn’t quite right. Then bang! One day you are weighed down on the floor, exhausted and struggling to get up.
However, you are eating exactly what the food pyramid dictates as a healthy diet.
TURNING AROUND THE FOOD PYRAMID FOR GREATER HEALTH
It is now claimed that over 70% of Australians are overweight and 30% obese, and this now seems to be accepted as normal. Unfortunately, people follow the perceived healthy diet, which consists mostly of sugar, grains, and processed foods.
I am a firm believer in doing the exact opposite of what most people do to get a different result.
I flipped the food pyramid, but left sweets and processed fats at the top. I’ve been doing this for many years and I feel great! I try to eat natural and vegetable fats with most meals and a moderate protein intake. I eat when I’m hungry and stop when I’m full. I don’t bother counting calories or worry about the amount of calories contained in natural fats. When I don’t deviate from this eating I can see my abs, by the time I get bigger my pimples disappear. I exercise most days and feel great.
If I do eat grains, it’s on occasion (like 1-3 times a week max) and it’s quinoa or spelt.
I have worked alongside many non-agenda health professionals who also take this approach. I have applied this way of eating to hundreds of clients who have obtained the same results. Fat loss, increased energy and greater general well-being.
Everyone has eliminated starch, wheat, gluten, pasta, rice, etc. If you want some healthy alternatives you can check our recipe section here. With a little preparation, you’ll be surprised at the alternatives available.
But don’t take my word for it, do some homework and read some books. Health is a personal journey, but if you’re not satisfied with where you are, a change is in order. The change will only come from the application of the action.
So if you want to improve your health, feel great, and lose unwanted body fat, do the opposite of what most people do and turn the food pyramid upside down! You will be surprised with the results.
