Dueling Pyramids?

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s MyPyramid, a new interactive healthy eating guide meant to replace the government’s 13-year-old and much maligned food pyramid, met with mixed reviews when it debuted last April. Many people saw its information and recommendations as still outdated and the pyramid itself as too simply drawn to be educational. Whatever your opinion of the pyramid itself, the USDA’s website (www.MyPyramid.gov) does contain a useful feature: You can calculate your ideal caloric intake based on your age and gender and the amount of physical activity you do. You can also find out more about the USDA’s recommended food groups.

Monica Myklebust, MD, and Jenna Wunder, MPH, RD, of the University of Michigan’s Integrative Medicine Clinic, took the food pyramid idea one step further. A month before the MyPyramid premiere, they released the Healing Foods Pyramid (www.medumich.edu/umim/clinical/pyramid), a nutritional guide developed after two years of research without pressure from outside interests. Myklebust and Wunder wanted to focus on food that prevents various diseases like diabetes and cancer. They stress the importance of eating organic foods as well as eating mindfully. The Healing Foods Pyramid contains only foods with known healing benefits and essential nutrients. “Food really is medicine,” Myklebust says. “Eating well contributes significantly to healing, health and well-being.”

At the base of the pyramid is water, an important “food” that is still missing from the USDA’s guide. The pyramid recommends building your diet with plant foods. Myklebust and Wunder suggest eating a variety of fruits and vegetables every day to maximize your intake of important nutrients and phytochemicals. Next are whole grains, then legumes (including soy) followed by healthy fats—primarily mono-unsaturated fats and nuts. A group of seasonings (garlic, herbs, hot peppers, etc.) share the same level with fats, and above them you’ll find eggs and dairy listed separately. The next two levels, fish and seafood and lean meats, are considered weekly necessities, rather than daily. Myklebust and Wunder acknowledge the health benefits of alcohol, dark chocolate and tea, but list them as optional. Finally, the peak of the pyramid remains empty so the consumer can fill it with whatever food has healing benefits for them personally. Did someone just say ice cream?
—MK