Excerpt from
Globesity: How Globalists Are Feeding Off the Obesity Crisis
The USDA’s Pyramid Scheme
The government’s dietary recommendations also contribute to the obesity problem.
“The
USDA has two mandates, and they are conflicting,” Bowden maintained.
“The first is to get the people of the United States good information
about nutrition. The second mandate is to build markets and to build
business for the agricultural industry. Well, if you’re putting out
crap, and you’ve got to build markets for that, you can’t very well tell
the people that you’re supposed to be informing that this is crap.”
Political influence has plagued the Department of Agriculture’s dietary advice for well over a century. In his book Bully Boy: The Truth About Theodore Roosevelt’s Legacy,
Jim Powell notes that Harvey Washington Wiley, the chief chemist at the
USDA’s Bureau of Chemistry from 1882 to 1912, “encouraged Americans to
consume more sugar, which he considered the hallmark of an advanced
civilization. ‘Childhood without candy,’ he remarked, ‘would be Heaven
without harps.’” Wiley, as it happens, was tight with the sugar
industry. He lobbied for high sugar tariffs, and sugar producers helped
protect him from political enemies.
The food pyramid, which the
USDA introduced in 1992, was greatly influenced by politics. The pyramid
recommended six to 11 servings of grains daily — more than any other
food group, and more than vegetables and fruits combined.
“While the government has stood by this regimen for 11 years,” the Wall Street Journal
reported in 2002, “some critics say it’s no coincidence that the number
of overweight Americans has risen 61% since the pyramid was introduced —
and almost instantaneously appeared on the sides of pasta boxes, bread
wrappers and packages of other food products in the pyramid’s
six-to-11-servings category.”
At that time the USDA’s dietary
guidelines were up for review, “an exercise that attracts not only
critics from the world of medicine but industry lobbyists and those
promoting the virtues of various food groups and diets,” the Journal
observed. The lobbying should not be surprising given that, as the same
newspaper reported in 2004, “the tiniest change to the guidelines or
pyramid can swing food companies’ sales by millions of dollars.”
“Every aisle of the supermarket has a lobbyist in town,” food-industry consultant Jeff Nedelman told the Journal.
Some
industry groups, such as the National Dairy Council, sought increases
in the number of recommended servings of their products. Others sought
merely to retain their prominence in the pyramid: “There is no doubt
that the Food Guide Pyramid in 1992 was a big boost to the baking
industry,” Sara Lee Corp. baking division spokesman Matt Hall told the
paper.
The resulting guidelines were anything but impartial and scientific.
In
2011, the USDA replaced the food pyramid with MyPlate. Most pyramid
critics agree that the new guide is an improvement over the old one.
Fruits and vegetables now occupy a larger part of the recommended diet,
though grains still constitute a sizable portion of it, and dairy — not
necessarily harmful but certainly not essential — remains in the
recommendations, no doubt reflecting continued industry pressure. And
whereas the food pyramid suggested using fats “sparingly,” MyPlate fails
to address the issue at all, despite research showing that some fats
are actually beneficial.
Now, after all these years of
subsidizing and recommending poor diets, the government, led by the UN,
wants people to trust it to help them shrink their waistlines. Yet who
doubts that, just as in the past, policies implemented in the future
will not be governed solely by disinterested scientists but also by
lobbyists, politicians beholden to special interests, and researchers
pushing an agenda?
Still, even if disinterested individuals were given a free hand to solve the obesity dilemma, what, exactly, would they do?
“If
the president called and said, ‘You’re going to be an advisor [on
obesity]. Fix it any way that you want,’ I would just run from the room
screaming because I wouldn’t even know where to start,” Bowden said.
While
diet and exercise certainly play a role, “there are enormous genetic,
metabolic, biochemical, [and] environmental factors that work together
in some manner, shape, or form that is virtually impossible to study
because you’ve got too many factors,” he averred. “I have talked to
obesity researchers who have said, ‘We’ve been studying this stuff for
20 years, and we still do not understand it.’”
This constitutes
yet another parallel between “global warming” and the obesity “crisis.”
No one doubts that the Earth’s climate has changed over time — not just
seasonally but over centuries and millennia — and that even now it is
changing in observable ways. Likewise, everyone can see with his own
eyes — or bathroom scale — that humans are becoming heavier by the day.
In both cases, neither the underlying causes of the changes nor their
ultimate repercussions are fully understood, but the solutions proposed
by those claiming to know the answers are the same: global governance; a
larger, more intrusive state; and a surrender of our liberties.
Latest Headlines
-
Hidden craters reveal Earth may once have had a ring—like Saturn
-
The rings of Saturn are among the most famous and spectacular features in
the solar system. Earth may once have had something similar.
21 minutes ago
-
16 "Myths" About Having Kids Later In Life, According To Older Parents
-
"I had my child at 45, and I've had people tell me that my decision to have
a child at my age was somehow unfair to my child. Personally, I feel that
I'm a...
25 minutes ago
-
Op shop comes under fire after customers make unbelievable find
-
A thrifty shopper asked if the price was appropriate for an op shop and
added that they thought it would make St Vincent de Paul, the charity's
founder, ro...
31 minutes ago
-
EXCLUSIVE: Met Office in Denial as It Rates Almost all its Temperature
Stations as ‘Excellent’, ‘Good’ or ‘Satisfactory’
-
Further alarming disclosures have come to light about the Met Office’s U.K.
temperature measuring network following a recent freedom of information
(FOI) r...
1 hour ago
-
Brazil’s Lula fires back after Zelensky criticism
-
[image: Preview] President Lula of Brazil has lashed out at Ukraine in an
apparent response to Vladimir Zelensky’s rebuke of his diplomatic efforts
Read Fu...
1 hour ago
-
Brickbat: Open Carryout
-
Police have responded to an uptick in gun violence in downtown Denver by
banning food trucks on the weekend. Cops say people tend to gather near the
food t...
1 hour ago
-
Massive UFO Encounter: Air Force Crew Faces Unidentified Craft Over Nuclear
Silo
-
Air Force crew encounters a massive UFO over a nuclear missile silo,
raising national security concerns during the Cold War.
The post Massive UFO Encount...
3 hours ago
-
Springfield’s GOP Mayor Suggests Trump Should Stay Away.
-
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Amid continuing bomb threats to local schools and other city buildings that
are leaving residents in fear, the mayor of Spring...
4 hours ago
-
-
Somalia: From Crisis to Renewal
-
Climate change is turbocharging the conflict in Somalia. How is the country
coping?
10 hours ago
-
Police cut ties with St. Louis entrepreneur Andy Frisella after rant
against female officers
-
“His statements crossed far over the line from criticism to sharing violent
fantasies of killing policewomen,” said St. Louis County police union
President...
11 hours ago
-
The Ruling Elites Create an Orwellian Reinterpretation of Human Rights
-
Ludwig von Mises depicts the aim of revolutionary socialism as: “to clear
the ground for building up a new civilization by liquidating the old one.”
One of...
11 hours ago
-
Father Installs Surveillance Camera on Daughter’s Head to Keep an Eye on Her
-
A Pakistani father fearing for his daughter’s safety allegedly made her
wear a surveillance camera on her head so he could keep an eye on her.
There is n...
12 hours ago
-
America Is Being Absolutely Ripped Apart By Hate, And The End Result Will
Be Unparalleled Chaos In Our Streets
-
The way that people are responding to the latest attempt to assassinate
Donald Trump says a lot about where we are as a nation. There was a time
when so...
12 hours ago
-
How Did You Know To Question Their Health Advice?
-
pic.twitter.com/RTIiBoeghz — cryptogon (@cryptogon) September 17, 2024
14 hours ago
-
'NEO Beta' robot is like something out of a science-fiction movie
-
Robotics firm 1X has unveiled its latest creation which looks, moves and
acts like a real person. We've seen some impressive robots over the last
few ...
21 hours ago
-
DoD plans Eastern Europe nuclear strike simulation to prepare for potential
collapse of worldâs agriculture system
-
(NaturalNews) A program simulating the potential effects of a nuclear
strike on worldwide agriculture is in the works at the Department of
Defense, accord...
1 day ago
-
5 Best Glassagram Alternatives to Try in 2024
-
Discover the best Glassagram alternatives to enhance your social media
experience. Explore top options that offer unique features and
user-friendly interfa...
1 day ago
-
The Hidden Meaning of Katy Perry’s Highly Symbolic Performance at the 2024
VMAs
-
At the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards, Katy Perry performed for over 10
minutes and was given the Lifetime Achievement Award. And the entire thing
was highl...
4 days ago
-
New Classification Bill Highlights Ongoing Bipartisan Efforts to Improve
Government Transparency
-
The current declassification system is a “crisis that undermines both our
national security and government transparency,” according to Senator Gary
Peters ...
5 weeks ago
-
-
Top 5 Ginger Remedies You Must Know
-
The smell that permeates the air in your home when you add fresh ginger to
a meal is simply incredible. Ginger offers unique aromas and flavors that
can ...
4 months ago
-
Remember Cell 411? You can help bring it back to life.
-
If you’re an old-school Cop Block supporter, you surely remember Cell 411.
It was a killer app that allowed the
Remember Cell 411? You can help bring it ...
1 year ago
-
-
This feed has moved and will be deleted soon. Please update your
subscription now.
-
The publisher is using a new address for their RSS feed. Please update your
feed reader to use this new URL:
*http://www.alternet.org/home/feed*
1 year ago
-
John Stamos’ Friend Says He’s “Devastated’ Full House Family Is Now Mired
in Scandal
-
A friend of John Stamos stated that the 'Full House' star is "devastated"
by Bob Saget's death, co-star scandals.
1 year ago
-
Joe Scarborough: Every single conspiracy is easily disproven in about two
or three minutes
-
Intellihub | "I walk through it--every single conspiracy theory is
disproven in about two or three minutes."
The post Joe Scarborough: Every single consp...
3 years ago
-
Building demolition goes wrong
-
Building collapses on excavator, fortunately no-one was reported injured
3 years ago
-
New French coronavirus deaths steady, infections creep up
-
The number of people who died from coronavirus infection in France rose by
28 to 29,603 on Thursday, the same increase as Wednesday, but the number of
new ...
4 years ago
-
U.S. prison riot teams faulted for injuring staff during exercises
-
U.S. Bureau of Prisons riot teams that helped protect the White House
during protests earlier this month injured employees by deploying flash
bang grenades...
4 years ago
-
The Hemp Industry / Staying Positive
-
Air Date: Tue, 28 Apr 2020
Doug Fine discussed the many amazing properties of hemp. Followed by Eldon
Taylor on staying positive in the COVID-19 era.
4 years ago
-
Burials begin in quake- and tsunami-hit Indonesian region
-
A mass burial of earthquake and tsunami victims was being prepared in a
hard-hit city Monday as the need for heavy equipment to dig for survivors
of the di...
5 years ago
-
Yet another federal judge tears into qualified immunity, citing Cato
Institute & Will Baude
-
The legal blogosphere has been abuzz with Judge Willett’s recent
“dubitante” concurrence in Zadeh v. Robinson, in which the Twitter superstar
and Supreme...
5 years ago
-
Highly Facetious Comics #6
-
Joinmycult.org The post Highly Facetious Comics #6 appeared first on
disinformation.
[This is a short summary; please click the story headline to read th...
6 years ago
-
AP Investigation: Sustainable seafood dealer sold fishy tale
-
MONTAUK, New York (AP) — Even after winter storms left East Coast harbors
thick with ice, some of the country's top chefs and trendy restaurants were
offer...
6 years ago
-
AP Investigation: Sustainable seafood dealer sold fishy tale
-
MONTAUK, New York (AP) — Even after winter storms left East Coast harbors
thick with ice, some of the country's top chefs and trendy restaurants were
offer...
6 years ago
-
St. Paul raccoon reaches roof after scaling downtown tower
-
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A raccoon that became an internet sensation by
scaling a 25-story office tower in downtown St. Paul was safely trapped
early Wednesd...
6 years ago
-
DOJ Stumbles at Hearing on Detaining Immigrants
-
Criticizing an attorney for the government for arguing issues he never
raised in briefing, the First Circuit seemed likely at a hearing Wednesday
to u...
7 years ago
-
Breaking Down Barriers in Sexual and Reproductive Health Reporting in Africa
-
*This is a guest post by Humphrey Nabimanya, founder of Reach a Hand
Uganda. *
[image: 2016-04-15-1460736651-1435623-huffpo1.jpg]*Journalists and bloggers...
8 years ago
-
Mom Has Stacked Dinner Party Roster
-
GOLDEN, CO—Their eyes widening in amazement as the 43-year-old rattled off
the names of heavy hitter after heavy hitter, impressed members of the
Dreesh...
8 years ago
-
Goodnight, and good luck
-
A valedictory note from Al Jazeera America on what we tried to bring to the
online news landscape
8 years ago
-
-
No comments:
Post a Comment