The Upside Down Food Pyramid  (January 2015)

Food is one of those subjects, like religion and politics that people tend to avoid talking openly about or can’t talk openly about without arguing.  That’s because there are a lot of beliefs and traditions wrapped up around food.  Some people believe eating meat is unnatural, others think it’s cruel.  Still others think that eating dogs is abhorrent while for others it’s traditional.  Like most belief systems there are contradictions and compromises but it should be remembered that belief systems are neither right nor wrong.  They are simply the glue that keeps communities or families, who want to practice a certain way of living, together.  Knowing a little about the science of human behaviour and how belief systems work should help people keep an open mind.

Looking at our food pyramid and comparing its advice to what has been learned in recent years about nutrition, there appears to be a disconnect.  Science is on the verge of claiming that the pyramid might be upside down; much to the horror of vegans, vegetarians, grain, sugar, agriculture, hospitality, baking and fast-food industries.

The Obesity Epidemic

The trend in obesity is on the rise as are related diseases like diabetes and cancer.  This epidemic appears to correspond to an increase in sugar, fruit and grain consumption over the last thirty years.  The very foods that make up the bulk of the FDA’s primary recommended food group.  Although there are conflicting reports to the contrary, the real proof is in the findings of unbiased science, the kind that isn’t funded by the agriculture (grain and sugar) industries for example.  This primary food group is considered by the FDA to be the most important to good health but clearly the statistics show that the FDA’s policy bias benefits the grain and sugar industries more than it helps the general populous.

Fear of Fats

The sugar campaign of the 1970’s successfully concluded that sugar was safe and that saturated fats are bad, this fallacy has been contested for decades and finally it seems people are starting to take notice. 

Ignoring the rhetoric of the dysfunctional FDA’s of the world, recent studies indicate that the modern day aversion to saturated fat is doing more harm than good.  It turns out saturated fat is essential to bone, teeth, skin, hair and general health.  That’s because saturated animals fats contain essential fat soluble vitamins D, E and A that our bodies are designed to need. 

It goes without saying that other research also demonstrates that eating fat can mitigate the effects of lectins, phytates and other nutritive toxins found in vegetables and grains.  Consequently by removing saturated fats from the common diet people could be exacerbating dietary related disease. 

Other evidence would suggest that animal fat, at the very least, is essential to dental health.  The tooth’s ability to repair is improved when the diet contains quality saturated animal fats.  Additionally, hair, skin and connective tissue health is improved by eating fish oil (omega-3 fatty acids) whereas vegetable oils contain higher concentrations of omega-6 fatty acids which, in excess, are now considered harmful and may increase the risk of cancer. 

The growing consensus, that oil from vegetables, grains and nuts may do more harm than good whereas fats from animal sources are essential, is turning the FDA’s narrow corporate oriented view of the world on its head.

Anthropological History of Diet

The irony may well be that sugars and carbohydrates make people fat whereas fats and protein make people lean; the complete opposite of the message being broadcast at society by the TV and governments.

If we just look at the subject of animal fat from a purely anthropological point of view it could be argued that after two million years of evolution humans became omnivores reliant on meats, insects and fish more than fruits and vegetables.  Clearly, in a world void of industrialised high yield agriculture, fruit and vegetables were seasonal and sporadic.  There were no fields of oranges or potatoes.  A yam was something a nomadic group would capitalise on only when such food could be found.  Fruit was something enjoyed in spring for as long as the single tree a tribe happened upon had ripe offerings.

Historically speaking crops and agriculture are a modern invention, started less than 10,000 years ago.  That timeframe accounts for only 0.5% of our evolutionary timescale, hardly enough time to adapt to the new food source.  Furthermore those first farms harvested grain species that were arguably healthier for us than the modern commercial high yield varieties grown today.  To add insult to injury the way we prepare these grains and vegetables has changed so that modern humans ingest a lot more of the debilitating lectins and glutens than our ancestors did.

Satiety and Overeating

Anyone who has made the change away from grains and carbohydrates will know firsthand that a meal high in protein and fat but low in carbohydrates satisfies for longer.  It goes without saying that a meal that satisfies reduces the likelihood of overeating.  Even without studying human physiology this fact is demonstrated by how easy it is for most people to drink a glass of juice, eat a piece of bread or order dessert even when they are so full they can’t eat that last bite of steak. 

When faced with the choice of which food to overeat the brain will always side with those food groups that contain sugar or carbohydrates. It’s no wonder that certain anti-sugar proponents are claiming that sugar is addictive and may activate the same receptors in the brain as morphine or nicotine.  The human species may therefore be hardwired to over-eat carbohydrates from fruit and starches.  A mechanism that helped early humans fatten up in the spring in order to survive harsher winters.

Percy’s Personal Experience

From my own experience a diet high in animal fats and protein, low in starches and sugars has had a profoundly beneficial effect on my fat and muscle percentage, joint and intestinal health.  Sadly it is only through this kind of personal experienced that it becomes clear, the current food pyramid was not developed with human health in mind but was more likely manifested from lobbying by food corporations pursuing higher profit margins.  The basic truths have been overlooked by science which by all accounts struggles to understand the deep complexities of human physiology.

The Future of Food

The world has been pushing grains, fruits and sugars for so long it is becoming difficult to source quality (organic) meats and fish. 

The oceans are starting to warm, which is destroying the fine ecological balances that sustain fish supplies.  As if that wasn’t already a major problem, greedy commercial super-trawler fishing has been decimating fish numbers for decades.  Of course even if the oceans weren’t being destroyed by climate or overfishing, they are being polluted to the point where most sources of fish are tainted with mercury, heavy metals and even radioactive salts.  

The farming of beef, lamb and sometimes pork is enhanced with anti-inflammatory drugs, hormones or disease promoting grains in feeder lots.  Practices that attempt to increase yield but which ultimately compromise the quality of the fat and nutrient levels in the meat.  At the very least, such doping practices may result in chemical residues that could be detrimental to human health when consumed.

Obviously choosing free-range or organic produce is key to avoiding secondary complications from unhealthy growing practices but the price for such quality food sources continues to rise against declining availability.  The same issues translate to vegetable quality.  Many non-organic commercially grown vegetables contain measurable quantities of pesticides, herbicides and artificial fertilizers.  Even if the presence of poisons isn’t bad enough such produce is potentially less nutritionally rich than their organically certified equivalents.

It’s very possible difficulties in the supply of quality meat, fish and food in general will be a major cause for concern for most countries in less than twenty years, assuming the global economy lasts long enough to support it that long.  Earth’s carrying capacity may not be sufficient to supply the right foods to everyone with the quality they need.  Water shortages, energy shortages and land erosion are just some of the hurdles facing modern farming.  Organic animal farming may prove to be unsustainable under these conditions given the unchecked size of world populations. 

In the near future, healthy meat could become unaffordable to everyone except the elite.  Consequently grains and genetically modified super crops may become the only viable food source for the remainder of humanity.  It’s not clear exactly how this will translate to human health or average life-expectancy and rising incidences of cancer but if the current trends continue it’s quite possible the scenario outlined in the book ‘The Synth’ is going to come true.   

Further reading: 

The Dangers of Lectins
Compromising Effects of Phytic Acid