Have you ever had one of those moments… Someone asks you a question which seems to be really simple, yet you know if you answer it, it opens up for a 100 more questions?
After explaining to my friend about my feelings on why counting calories doesn’t work, I think he was having a little 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 flying at me!
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 food was of the utmost importance when it came to weight loss, not counting calories. He also began to realize that most of his daily diet consisted of food that was not nutrient dense. It was loaded with refined grains, white flour and starch like breads, pastas, rice etc.
This was my answer to why I thought the food pyramid sucked. Here’s why…
CATTLE
Tongue in cheek 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 up with grain and corn. They can do this in weeks. From my understanding, they struggle to do this when a cow eats what it’s supposed to (grass). I think it’s a safe bet that we can apply this theory with us humans too!
If you want a body shaped like a pyramid, I suggest you follow the conventional advice.
In my opinion, you are better off turning it upside down for greater health and a better body shape.
IS THE FOOD PYRAMID HEALTHY?
The food pyramid was first published back in 1974 in Sweden. The most widely known food pyramid was introduced by the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) in 1992.
The first question I then ask is this: Would the US department of agriculture have a vested interest in promoting grains as your primary food source?
The dieticians and nutritionists that promote the food pyramid are the same ones that design hospital food and school lunch menus. I spent most of the beginning of this year visiting the hospital everyday and I was horrified with what the dieticians were feeding patients. It’s not my intention in any way to undermine the hospital staff, as they went above and beyond their duties to help look after someone I dearly loved. But I don’t agree with the system that promotes this kind of nutrition.
From what 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 with the 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 fats, which instantly promotes a low fat diet. The fats are placed next to the sweets! Is this for real?
There’s not even a differentiation of the types of fats. It’s now common knowledge that certain fats are essential for optimum health and brain function. There’s a big difference between cold pressed coconut oil and a hydrogenated margarine spread! (I wrote a post on fats here).
I believe fats from a natural source can actually aid in weight loss, reduce heart disease risk, lower blood sugar, and even lower cholesterol!
GOING AGAINST THE GRAIN
I asked my friend if he genuinely felt if he was eating healthy a daily? He said he felt it wasn’t too bad… a bit rough around the edges but all the same he said he was doing OK.
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). He rushed out the door and was in the car driving for most of the morning. He had the munchies mid-morning (his breakfast fed the appetite but not the body) and ate a muesli ‘health’ bar (this contains so much sugar he may as well have eaten a mars bar). It was then a late lunch which was ham salad focaccia bread with no butter! That night when he got home exhausted he ate pre-packed vegetable lasagna.
I see this every day and I believe this is the very reason why his energy is low and he’s not shifting weight along with so many other people I see struggling. Not only that, I believe this will compromise his health over time as well. It’s a bit like carrying a pack on your back with somebody following you dropping little rocks in it from time to time. It’s too little to notice each one but you know something’s not quite right. Then bang! One day you’re weighed down on the floor, worn out and struggling to get up.
Yet he’s eating exactly what the food pyramid dictates as a healthy diet.
TURN THE FOOD PYRAMID UPSIDE DOWN FOR GREATER HEALTH
It is now stated over 70% of Australians are overweight with 30% being obese, and this now seems to be accepted as normal. Sadly people are eating the perceived healthy diet which largely consists of sugar, grains and processed foods.
I’m a big believer in doing the exact opposite to what most people do to get a different result.
I turned the food pyramid upside down but left the sweets and processed fats on the top. I’ve been doing this for many years and feel great! I try to eat natural fats and vegetables with most meals and moderate protein intake. I eat when I’m hungry and stop when I’m full. I don’t bother with calorie counting or worry about the amount of calories contained in natural fats. When I don’t stray from this eating I can see my abs, the moment I increase my grains they disappear. I exercise most days and feel great.
If I eat grains it’s on the odd occasion (like 1-3 x a week max) and it’s quinoa or spelt.
I’ve worked alongside many health professionals without an agenda who take this approach too. I’ve applied this way of eating to hundreds of clients who have all had the same results. Fat loss, increased energy and an overall enhanced wellbeing.
They have all cut out the starch, wheat, gluten, pasta, rice etc. If you want some health alternatives you can check out our recipes section here. With a little bit of preparation you’ll be amazed with what alternatives are available.
But don’t take my word for it, do some homework and read some books. Health is a personal journey, but if you are not happy with where you are at the change is needed. Change will only come from applying action.
So if you want to improve your health, feel great and lose unwanted body fat, do the opposite to what most people are doing and turn the food pyramid upside down! You’ll be amazed with the results.