THE “FOUR FOOD GROUPS” AND THEIR ROLE IN CONSTIPATION

In the 1950’s the USDA told us that there were four essential food groups from which we should eat equal portions every day in order to get a balanced, nutritious diet. The four food groups consisted of “Meat”, “Dairy”, Starches”, and “Fruits and Vegetables”.

          What this ultimately translated to was a diet HALF-FILLED with the most constipating (no fiber whatsoever) foods of “Meats” and “Dairy”. Moreover, even the “Starches” and “Fruits and Vegetables” consumed were often in the form of inferior, over-processed foods.

          The USDA’s guidelines allowed for such “good food” as cereals like Trix and Sugar Pops, full of sugar, often made with artificial flavors and colors as well as white flour and degermed cornmeal. Packaged boxes of mac-n-cheese, over-processed potatoes in a box, “wonder” white bread and white rice were perfectly acceptable “starches”.

          “Vegetables” could include canned spinach and peas, and salad was usually a wedge of iceberg lettuce with a generous helping of fatty salad dressing.  “Fruit” was often shown on the chart as sugar-sweetened fruit “juice” such as Hawaiian Punch or canned fruit packed in heavy syrup. (My grandma actually encouraged us to drink this syrup for added nutrition!)

           We were taught that the “Dairy” group was especially important, through American Dairy Association-sponsored ads on TV espousing such maxims as “You never outgrow your need for milk”. This could include cow’s milk (3 tall glasses daily), processed “American” or Velveeta cheese, lots of eggs, ice cream, butter or margarine, etc.

          Even the “Meats” could be lunchmeat such as bologna, hot dogs, Spam, and Vienna sausages, all full of nitrates and who-knows-what-else.

          Over the years there have been some improvements, such as the 1992 version of the “Pyramid” and the 2005 version, called “My Pyramid” to help people visualize what a healthy diet might look like. The 5 Food Groups “My Plate.gov” was the latest improvement, with a dinner plate divided up into 4 main groups: fruits, veggies, grains and protein, although it still included a good chunk of dairy products as a side dish. What was wrong with this picture?

Next week, I will further discuss the development of  the USDA geometry and some vegan alternatives that are more oriented toward health and compassion.