New Food Pyramid scheme from USDA Morons

[mysh]

On the 19th of April, the USDA unveiled a brand new pyramid scheme - food pyramid scheme, that is. They have a way you can get your own personalised food pyramid at http://www.mypyramid.gov/.

Other than the normal stupidities it reflects, I was particularly horrified by two things. Here it rather absurdly claims:

Calcium-fortified foods and beverages such as soy beverages or orange juice may provide calcium, but may not provide the other nutrients found in milk and milk products.

(I never thought of the toxins, random chemcials, hormones, and antibiotics as "nutrients". At least they don't claim those missing nutrients to be essential.)

Clicking that text on the provided link leads, via another link, to this wisdom:

Some plant foods have calcium that is well absorbed, but the large quantity of plant foods that would be needed to provide as much calcium as in a glass of milk may be unachievable for many.

I was a little bit too upset at this point to read much further. The only good thing about all of this is that the new pyramid scheme is so complex, that I would guess few people will bother figuring it out.

[Artichoke47]

haha. I love how you quoted it as "USDA Morons." You will laugh about this later. Those idiots couldn't advise me to do anything. I'll read about nutritional information from educated people, thankyouverymuch.

[FR]

Some plant foods have calcium that is well absorbed, but the large quantity of plant foods that would be needed to provide as much calcium as in a glass of milk may be unachievable for many.

Maybe they are referring to all milk, as plant milk has just as much (and more in some cases) calcium as mammal milk.

Then again, they make asses out of themselves by asserting this:

Calcium-fortified foods and beverages such as soy beverages or orange juice may provide calcium, but may not provide the other nutrients found in milk and milk products.

When I look at a carton of Silk Enhanced, it actually has more nutrients (and at higher levels) than mammal milk does.

[assilembob]

When I look at a carton of Silk Enhanced, it actually has more nutrients (and at higher levels) than mammal milk does.

Let's also not forget that they get their funding from dairy and meat industry lobbiests...the only good thing is the inclusion of activity to the "pyramid"

~Mel

[Kim[ba]]

To me this is actually a positive sign that more people are going veg. I feel kind of honored to have a new food pyramid made out just for the purpose of debunking the ethical diet that I follow. So someone did notice that I stopped eating meat and dairy...

[Michelle]

To me this is actually a positive sign that more people are going veg. I feel kind of honored to have a new food pyramid made out just for the purpose of debunking the ethical diet that I follow. So someone did notice that I stopped eating meat and dairy...

I like this viewpoint

[moochbabe]

those people are such idiots! i was on the site just now and got so overwhelmed/upset, that i had to turn it off and come here, and then I was able to find this thread and so i felt mildly better. i just had to come rant to people that would understand...things like this make it so that people just KNOW that i'm unhealthy. grr! sorry guys, i was just so frustrated (also at the fact that they say that beans are a part of the veg group makes me pretty ticked too - they totally support the over-consumption of protein that plagues our country and collective health)

[Yogini]

A few years ago my father considered applying for a job with the USDA. He contacted an old classmate who is fairly high up in the agency to see if he would be willing to help and his friend told him "You do NOT want to work for us. My colleagues are morons."

[Neptunus]

I aggree with Kim[ba]. They're obviously quite intimidated. Hah!

[insubordination]

I know it has been pointed out before but why do humans 'need' the breast milk of raped cows who are hooked up to machines after their baby has been removed?

If milk beyond infancy is essential, then we should be at our mother's teat, not at a cow's. Of course, this will be difficult when we are 80 years old.

It's just such a ridiculous fraud that I can't understand why others don't see it.

[null_void]

Someone once told me that cow's milk was required by law to be fortified with certain nutrients. A quick google looks like it disproves that (which means I'm either remembering incorrectly, or the person telling me this was wrong).

But if it was true, and if there are no laws governing the kinds of fortifications soymilk needs to have, then this statement could actually have some value. Does anyone have information on this?

[Tigerlily]

Null Void, in some places, cow's milk is fortified with vitamin A, vitamin D, and sometimes with extra calcium.

[DianeVegan]

If you want some tremendous insight into the workings of the USDA then you should read "Food Politics" by Marion Nestle, PhD. To say that the nutritionists and scientists working at the USDA and FDA have their hands tied by industry is an understatement.

[DoveInGreyClothing]

Someone once told me that cow's milk was required by law to be fortified with certain nutrients. A quick google looks like it disproves that (which means I'm either remembering incorrectly, or the person telling me this was wrong).

But if it was true, and if there are no laws governing the kinds of fortifications soymilk needs to have, then this statement could actually have some value. Does anyone have information on this?

Cows milk is fortified in many cases, but as far as I'm aware it's not a legal requirement. Plain unfortified soymilk doesn't have so many nutrients which would make the statement true, but fortified soymilks have just as many, if not more, nutrients as cows milk. Just check the nutrient content of what brand you buy.

cows' breastmilk is a completely unnatural food for humans, this is just a big ad for the cows' milk industry!

[archaeopteryx]

Cow milk in the UK is fortified with iodine (via the animal feed).

Nobody wants pig milk.

Or pig cheese.

Or dog milk for that matter. etc. etc.

[Mr Flibble]

Other than the normal stupidities it reflects, I was particularly horrified by two things. Here it rather absurdly claims:

What is absurd about that? First off it says 'may' not will, and the fact that unfortified soy milk does not contain exactly the same vitamins as dairy milk is just that - a fact. It doesn't say which is better, it just says to use caution if trying to directly replace. How is that a bad thing?

Originally Posted by USDA Morons
Some plant foods have calcium that is well absorbed, but the large quantity of plant foods that would be needed to provide as much calcium as in a glass of milk may be unachievable for many.

Again it says 'may' and 'many', not 'will' and 'all'. As a vegan of 6 years I have no doubts that it's possible to get enough calcium from plant sources, but then I eat more than the average person does. I've no doubt that if many people were to stop having dairy products and not increase their intake of calcium containing plants then they may become defficient.

[FR]