Harvard revamps "flawed" design

With the rise of obesity and diabetes in the United States, the U.S. Department of Agriculture created a new food pyramid in 2005, but the Harvard School of Public Health has issued their own Healthy Eating Pyramid as an alternative to a "flawed" design.

In the United States, 34 percent of adults over the age of 20 - more than 72 million people - were considered obese in 2005-06, according to the latest study done by the national Center for Disease Control.

In 2005, nearly 10 percent of U.S. adults over the age of 20 - 20.6 million people - had diabetes, according to the CDC.

The new version of the USDA's 1992 food pyramid - MyPyramid - has no pictures of food, merely vertical bands of color representing the food groups with differing widths to show proportionality. The pyramid features a stick figure running up stairs on the side to emphasize the importance of exercise along with diet.

The only words are below the graphic: MyPyramid.gov, Steps To A Healthier You.

The Web site provides an interactive tool where you answer questions about yourself and the site then determines which pyramid is right for you. There are 12 different pyramids in all.

The site also includes a menu planner, a tool assessing your diet and physical activity, a special pyramid for pregnant or breast-feeding women and a game for kids.

Another change to the pyramid is the use of cups and ounces for portion sizing, instead of generic serving sizes.

The Harvard School of Public Health recently published their version of the pyramid that resembles the old pyramid. The Healthy Eating Pyramid follows more closely to 15 years worth of proven research, according to Harvard's report.

Harvard says the USDA's newest version is influenced by the food industry.

"If the only goal of MyPyramid is to give us the best possible advice for healthy eating, then it should be grounded in the evidence and be independent of business," according to Harvard's report.

The Healthy Eating Pyramid's base consists of daily exercise and weight control.

Refined grains like white rice, bread and pasta along with red meat, butter and potatoes have moved to the top of the pyramid with a warning to use sparingly. Healthy fats and oils are not at the top and are recommended along with whole grains, fruits and vegetables one tier up from the base.

Outside of the pyramid, alcohol is an optional recommendation, and vitamins are suggested for most people.

Harvard's report also criticizes the USDA for not making clear distinctions between whole and refined grains and red meat and white meat. The USDA advises people to eat lean or low-fat meat, but does not say to eat red meat sparingly.

"Both pyramids provide a science-based approach to help consumers eat healthier and understand the importance of physical activity in overall health," said Carolyn Nickol, director of the University Fitness Center of University Health Services at the University of Cincinnati.

Nickol said the most important part of a healthy diet is to eat plenty of whole grains, fruits and vegetables. She said there are no bad foods, but emphasized that "moderation is key." Foods high in sugar, sodium or fats - especially trans-fats - should only be eaten sparingly.

While the increase in obesity and diabetes has led to updates in the USDA's dietary recommendations, it has also meant the creation of many fad diets for people desperate to shed pounds.

Bonnie Brehm, professor in UC's college of Nursing, co-wrote a review assessing the benefits of some of the latest diets with David D'Alessio, professor of medicine at UC. The review was published in Nature Clinical Practice.

They looked at low-carbohydrate and low-fat diets like the Atkins and Ornish. The review also evaluated different versions of both, along a Mediterranean-style diet.

Brehm and D'Alessio found that these diets produced good results, but it was hard to determine long-term effectiveness because most studies lasted one year at the longest. In most cases, people lost weight in the very beginning, but after that were less successful in studies only focusing on diet.

Brehm and D'Alessio advised doctors to follow established dietary recommendations and take into consideration a person's preferences when choosing a diet. They also recommended that more research be done to see if certain diets are more successful because they are easier to follow, and if that affects how long people keep the weight off. For example: If a diet makes you cut out all the food you love, how long will you be able to stick to it?