Government Guidelines for a Healthy Diet
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the USDA are charged by the U.S. government to publish a set of dietary guidelines for use by American citizens. Taken together, these guidelines encourage Americans to fine-tune their daily habits to consume fewer calories, seek out more physical activity and make smarter choices regarding food quality.
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History
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The first list of dietary recommendations published by the U.S. government was set out all the way back in 1894, long before vitamins and minerals were even discovered. Not long after, in 1916, nutritionist Caroline Hunt published a food guide that divided food into the groups we know today: dairy, meat, grains, vegetables and fruits, fats and sugars. The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) system debuted in 1941, meant to provide Americans with daily goals for macro- and micronutrients in the diet. The 1970s brought the introduction of alcohol (in moderation) to the list of recommendations. The Food Guide Pyramid as we know it now followed in the early 1990s, presenting the USDA's recommendations in an easy-to-understand, graphic format.
Significance
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Why does the government bother to fund nutritional research and release these guidelines for a healthy diet? In a way, it's pure numbers. By providing a framework for its citizens to succeed in leading long, productive lives free of chronic disease, the government banks on the fact that it's preventing a range of expensive side effects. If more citizens are empowered by good health, fewer civil services are needed to support the unhealthy and more citizens are actively contributing to society. Though personal commitment to the tenets of the program are requisite for these benefits to be realized, government investment in nutritional research theoretically saves taxpayer money in the long run.
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Function
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The U.S. government guidelines for nutrition--specifically, the Food Guide Pyramid--are meant to present three main concepts in the design of an ideal diet for health: moderation, variety and proportionality. The flexibility inherent in the system allows the user to create a menu that suits his tastes while delivering an optimal balance of macro- and micronutrients. The guide also provides suggestions on physical activity to balance caloric consumption.
Considerations
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On average, most Americans eat a nutrient-poor diet and engage in very low levels of physical activity. That adds up to a higher number of calories consumed than expended, and the resulting energy imbalance is one of the key factors contributing to the increasing numbers of overweight/obese Americans. Obesity, of course, is a major risk factor for chronic disease (such as diabetes, certain cancers and heart disease). According to the Dietary Guidelines For Americans, a full 65 percent percent of U.S. adults were overweight during the period from 1999 to 2002. That shows a 56 percent increase from the 1988--1994 period. Even more troubling are the youth statistics: approximately 16 percent of kids between 6 and 19 years old surveyed during that test period were clinically overweight.
Misconceptions
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Though the USDA Food Pyramid (and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans) are based on sound science, they are necessarily oversimplified to be widely understood. For instance, it doesn't differentiate between good and bad fats, it doesn't note differences between proteins, and it rather insists that dairy products are essential to the body. In truth, saturated and trans fats should be avoided, but mono- and polyunsaturated fats (including fats from most fish, nuts and olives) are quite healthy in moderation. The Pyramid does not specifically differentiate refined carbohydrates from whole grains, nor does it indicate that some protein sources are much better for the body than others. Dairy products in general have very mitigated benefits; a significant number of Americans are allergic to dairy, and too much calcium can increase the instance of prostate or ovarian cancer.
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