What's Wrong With This Picture?

You know, it never ceases to amaze me the things that government agencies seem to think need lots of research and money and time put into them in order to come to a completely logical conclusion. Here's one more example of this: (My shrewd comments in red)

Proposed U.S. Dietary Guidelines Stops Short of Urging Less Sugar
By Randy Fabi
WASHINGTON (Reuters) Aug 27 - A U.S. panel of nutrition experts on Friday proposed new federal dietary guidelines that acknowledged a link between soft drinks and weight gain, but stopped short of recommending that overweight Americans eat less sugar.

**WHAT'S THIS? Acknowledging a link between sody-pop and sugar and being fat? You're joshin' me.... (Hand me another Twinkie, Mabel....)

The 13-member panel, commissioned by the Bush administration to recommend changes to the government's dietary guidelines, also said "social changes" in America's super-sized lifestyle would help shrink the country's waistline.

I wonder how much tax money is being spent to pay 13 people on this panel to tell the American public that you can't live off of junk and be healthy. (Let's see...... 13 "experts" X $90,000 a year= $1,170,000)

Consumer groups had hoped the panel would bluntly recommend that Americans limit their consumption of soft drinks and other sugary foods, a view sharply opposed by beverage makers and the sugar industry, who say weight gain is due to many factors.

Yes, beverage makers and sugar industry people. Many factors. Lessee....what could they be??? Um, eating. Sitting. Eating. Sitting. Maybe we should go after the couch manufacturers instead of the food? (Don't everybody write me and tell me about your fat genetics either. Try changing the eating and sitting routine and then let's see how things go. I know genetics can play a role, but you aren't helpless against it.)

The federal dietary guidelines form the basis of the well-known food pyramid printed on breakfast cereals and other food packages. The guidelines are updated every five years by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Health and Human Services Department.

The recommendations included non-controversial language advising consumers to choose their fats and carbohydrates "wisely" and to limit salt and alcohol.

Non-controversial! Hilarious! Where's the controversy? Who are they trying not to offend? The manufacturers of Coke and Doritos and Little Debbie and her friend Sara Lee? (See the end of this article to find out who they really care about)

"A reduced intake of added sugars (especially sugar-sweetened beverages) may be helpful in achieving recommended intakes of nutrients and in weight control," the report said. The experts stopped short of directly urging Americans to cut down on soft drinks, cakes, cookies, pies, candy and other sugar-filled food, saying more research was necessary.

Yes, it *may* be helpful, but of course that's no guarantee..... If you find that your present diet is working to keep you from being obese and in good health, well then, ok. If not, um, maybe it's time for a change. You think?

"We were still hoping that in the final document the public sees a more direct and clearer message that most of us should be consuming less added sugars," said David Schardt, senior nutritionist for the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

Soft drink makers and the sugar industry contend it is unfair to link diabetes to soft drink consumption. They said an unhealthy lifestyle, not a particular food or beverage, increased an individual's risk of developing diabetes.

Is soft drink consumption now considered to be a part of a healthy lifestyle? I think I missed that memo.

"The concept of sugars being in unhealthy foods or only being in foods that you should eat in moderation is kind of misleading. There is sugar in a lot of healthy foods," Cheryl Digges, director of public policy for the Sugar Association.

Oh Cheryl of the Sugar Association, we can see right through you, babe.... (Raise your hand if you think that the sugar in an apple is the same as the sugar in your Mountain Dew. If you raised your hand, smack yourself with it.)

The federal nutrition panel also urged Americans to balance food intake with their activity level to avoid gaining weight.

See? I was onto something with that eating and sitting observation.

The panel's final report advised Americans to be more physically active and to eat more fruits, vegetables and whole grains. The USDA and Health and Human Services Department will review the report and finalize new guidelines in 2005.

Consumer groups have expressed concern in the past that the USDA, which promotes agricultural products, has a major role in developing federal dietary guidelines. Last year, they requested the government remove seven of the 13 panel members because of their close ties to the food industry. None of them were removed.

Gee, that's a surprise. No wonder they're using such non-controversial language and are not willing to call a spade a spade.

Alright people, listen up! I am going to save this country a mint RIGHT NOW by telling you what these overpaid non-controversial sugar industry insiders will not tell you. Ready?

If you want to be healthy you should start by:

Eat lots of raw fruit.

Eat lots of raw veggies.

Eat raw nuts and seeds too.

Start increasing how much of these you eat, and keep increasing it every week until you get to at least 50% or more of the food you eat being raw foods.

Learn what a whole grain is and eat that instead of Wonder Bread and regular pasta. Whole grains are NOT Roman Meal bread at the store. Sure, you made a small step in the right direction, but you haven't arrived at the party yet. If you have a Great Harvest Bread near you, go buy some Honey Whole Wheat bread from them and taste the difference that is delicious, healthy carbs.

Cut out the soda. Don't buy a 2 liter and keep it in your fridge and pour it out for the kids to drink with their dinner. (For goodness sakes, DON'T feed it to your baby, as I have seen people do.) Know what they should drink? WATER. Yes, cheap, hydrating, life-giving, zero-calorie, no carb WATER. Not milk. Not soda. Water. At our house we have juice available in the mornings, and water all day after that. Cheap, easy, healthy. Voila!

Yes, junk food makes you junky and clunky and funky and chunky. Sugar slows down your metabolism and helps you get fat faster. Yep, it's true. And I didn't even have to do lots of expensive bogus research to figure it out. If you can cut sugar our of your diet completely you will probably be very surprised at how much weight you will lose, how much more energy you will have, how much clearer your thoughts. (of course, that all comes *after* the withdrawal symptoms subside....that can be rough)

Some great resources for any of you who might be inclined to make some positive changes in your diet:

The Healing Power of Whole Foods by Beth Loiselle. A great book at explaining what foods actually nourish your body and which work against it. Lots of recipes, too.

http://rejuvethenation.com/ A web site with information and products about eating more raw foods. Even if you don't want to go all raw, there's a lot of good stuff here. I have her recipe book and use it a lot. Raw foods doesn't just mean carrot sticks and salad. There is a lot more you can do. Some of the most delicious stuff I have eaten in recent history has been raw foods.

http://vegsource.com/ *The* vegetarian resource on the web. You can find bulletin boards here for vegetarians, vegans, raw foodists, recipes, information on the Atkins Diet, weightlifting, weight loss, quitting smoking, and lots more. I'm not a vegetarian, but I still find this to be a great resource.

http://joycevedral.com/ The workouts I do when I actually get up and do them. Her emails are a bit annoying, but the workouts are excellent. You don't have to spend a ton of money to go to a gym to get fit and be strong.

As I stated in one of my earliest posts, I'm an on-again/off-again health nut. I don't always have the energy to do what I think is really The Best in regards to what we're eating around here. I don't always care. But when I'm being Good and doing what I think I Should, what I have written here is what I do. I'm overweight right now and I know it. I have work to do and I'll get there eventually. Now that I've said my piece, I feel a stream of conscientiousness coming on.....