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Health & Fitness

After Twenty Years, The USDA Has Finally Recognized That The Old Food Pyramid Needed To Change

According to the food pyramid, more than 50% of our diet was supposed to come from carbohydrates.  This was bad advice. FATTENING advice.  Government agencies are slow to accept new research, but finally today, the recommendations for nutrition guidelines have been changed to the “My Plate” system.

Now the USDA is recommending that 50% of the diet come from fruits and vegetables and a more moderate 30% from grains.  And despite some nutritionists who seem to think that protein is unnecessary, the USDA’s My Plate system increases protein from practically zero to 20% of the diet.

In my opinion, although the My Plate system is a dramatic improvement over the old recommendations, it still has quite a few shortcomings.  First, this system has no real place for healthy fats like nuts, oils and organic dairy products like butter and cream.  Healthy fats are a critical part of any diet.  We suggest 25% of calories.  Next, we would decrease grains to no more than 15%.  Really, there are only 2 meals a day where we think you should consider eating grains, breakfast and the meal after a workout.  These are times when glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity are at its highest.  

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Next, we would like to see protein intake from 20% to at least 35%.  Protein offers so many benefits such as better blood sugar control, a decrease in body fat and an increase in calorie burning lean muscle.  Simply by decreasing your grain intake while simultaneously increasing your body’s ability to process carbohydrates, along with increasing your overall protein consumption, you will be well on your way to DOUBLING your fat loss results.  Till next time

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