What happened to the Basic Four?

USDA was originally given the conflicting task of educating the public on agricultural issues while simultaneously working with food producers to provide a reliable and consistent food supply. This, over time, has led to our ever-evolving dietary guidelines, and yet, is the purpose of these guidelines for our health or to sell more food?

Would you believe that there were once 12 food groups?

Food guides during the 1930’s were heavily influenced by the Great Depression and included 12 separate groups at the time!

In 1956, the USDA produced the “Basic Four” food guide. The dairy industry was so excited that they strongly promoted the plan, and why not; Since milk, eggs, and butter were suggested as a separate food group, it made sense that the dairy industry would be quite pleased.

In elementary school in the 1960s, we were taught that three full meals a day was best, and any other meal was considered a “snack.” What is a snack? Is it extra food when you’re not hungry? Is it something to do when you’re bored? Is it a social activity (standing around a table full of food at a party)?

And what was a full meal? It was based on the “Four Basic Food Groups” as they were defined at the time:

1 milk

2. Meat

3.Fruits and Vegetables

4. Grains

Four groups, four sides, four squares! Clean. Easy. People could “get” this, and that was the point. Make it easy enough for the average person to understand.

In the 1970s, research began to argue that excessive consumption of certain foods such as fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium increased the chances of heart disease and diabetes, and therefore prompted the USDA to try to further modify its guidelines. guidelines.

This was met with scorn, ridicule, and much resistance from the meat and dairy industries. They fought tooth and nail to keep the guidelines as they were, but to no avail. Eventually we ended up with the Food Pyramid.

Big Foods wins again

In 1988 and 1989, the USDA developed the Right Food Pyramid, emphasizing grains and other plant foods and de-emphasizing animal products. It was set for approval in 1991. Just before its scheduled release, meat, dairy, and egg lobbyists finally took notice and heavily attacked the plan due to misrepresentation of their products.

Complaints were made to the Secretary of Agriculture, Edward R. Madigan, that this pyramid would hurt beef sales. The National Dairy Producers Association joined the fight, and within weeks, the new Eating Well Pyramid was removed. Big food wins again! Secretary Madigan gave as the reason for the withdrawal that the plan was to “confuse the children”.

Then came protests by the American Cancer Society, the American Medical Association, and other health and medical organizations over the removal of the pyramid. In July 1991 a private company was contracted and given the task of testing the pyramid on a select group of children and people with minimal education. The resulting $855,000 study determined that the plan was indeed sound, and it was again scheduled for release.

The Right Food Pyramid was launched in April 1992, a year late due to 33 changes demanded by the meat and dairy industries, almost all incorporated into the design.

Keep in mind that the dietary guidelines are a product of the increased needs of food manufacturers (to sell more products) with a rough balance of the health industry’s attempt to influence public opinion.

The correct eating pyramid attacked by the Atkins diet and other low-carb diets

Today, in the early 2000s, we are revisiting the USDA recommendations again. Previously heavily skewed towards eating breads and cereals (never raised the question of being specific about grains, but it makes sense. The food industry is interested in selling processed grains, not whole grains), it looks like we’ll be reverting to the early 1990s plan soon. 1930 that emphasizes meat and dairy, or maybe not. Only time will tell who will win the fight this time. And the cycle continues. What follows for our dietary guidelines is anyone’s guess, which is why I suggest the common sense diet.

Eat good food and more of it. End of story.