Nutrition tested: Rejecting the food pyramid
The United States is the land of McDonald’s, Wendy’s and the Big Mac. It is the land where it is more acceptable to feed one’s children sugar for every meal than it is to say obesity is unhealthy. Clearly, something is wrong with the way we eat, and clearly, little is currently being done to change it. What can be done to overcome the crisis of the American food system?
From 2017 to 2020, the CDC found that 41.9% of Americans over 20 were obese, and 30% were overweight. These numbers are staggering given the fact that, in order to be classified as obese, one must have a BMI of 30 or above, according to the CDC. Someone who is overweight falls into the 25-29.9 BMI range. The World Population Review notes that in 2024, approximately 13% of the world’s adult population is obese, and 39% is overweight, making the United States an unfortunate anomaly.
While personal responsibility falls on the shoulders of everyone, the burden of blame for this crisis cannot rest solely on the backs of people in a country that functions as the U.S. does. The heavy reliance that average Americans have on the government is unhealthy, but it explains, in part, why the problem with the standard diet is so harmful. Many are looking to the government for direction, and when they find it, they see charts like the food pyramid of 2000, which recommends that people consume six to 11 servings of grains per day, as noted by health.gov.
Additionally, the pyramid neglects to mention any difference between the refined grain, often referred to as “enriched,” and whole grains, which are typically healthier, according to Harvard School of Public Health. The pyramid also fails to distinguish between a piece of fruit and fruit juice, when calling 2-4 servings of either of these a healthy amount. Stanford medicine even noted the difference between the two, finding that eating whole fruit typically led to weight loss over time, while drinking fruit juice typically led to gaining weight over time.
Leaving one’s own nutritional choices in the hands of the government is unwise and can become harmful, but being truly responsible for dietary discernment is not so easy. By taking nutrition into your own hands, you not only open yourself up to criticism and stereotyping, but you also have a mountain of half-true health information that you must test on your own. And sometimes, experimenting on your own can result in sickness that could have been avoiding by following the patterns of others. Unfortunately, these common patterns are the very things causing sickness in many.
For instance, the CDC discourages raw milk for human consumption, noting the many diseases it can cause. While it is true that handling raw milk improperly can be disastrous, the many benefits of raw milk, such as amino acids, antimicrobials, vitamins and minerals not found in pasteurized milk are not mentioned by the CDC. In many states, the sale of raw milk for human consumption is even illegal, forcing consumers to find legal loopholes to obtain this commodity. Many other natural products that some deem healthy are often discouraged by the government, including beef, hemp, egg yolks and kombucha.
In a country dominated by fast food and guided by the sometimes-ridiculous nutritional claims of those who are meant to govern, it is each individual’s responsibility to take health seriously and combat the health crisis we currently find ourselves in. Ultimately, people know what choices they ought to make to live healthy lives and what dietary options they should choose that will benefit their lifestyle, but it is clear: We cannot be reliant on a government for our personal nutritional decisions.
Kilker is the opinion editor for the Liberty Champion