There's a saying, opinions are like belly buttons, everyone has one - actually, it's a different body part, further south. This is especially true when it comes to diet.
I've been blogging about health and diet for nearly five years. In the beginning, I blogged from a very bias point of view (regrettably), promoting a "guru's" vegan agenda. I'm not vegan, never have been.
Nowadays I blog more objectively. Some Diet-Blog readers would disagree, saying I have a vegetarian agenda. I don't. I'm not even vegetarian. I eat mostly fruits and vegetables, and no meat, poultry, dairy or eggs, but I do eat fish. To be honest, my diet is more Mediterranean than anything else.
In my time spent blogging about diet - which seems like an eternity - I have encountered a lot of different, contrary, and downright radical opinions. When you blog about a vegan lifestyle (as I did for too many years), you get a lot of tree-huggers and hippies who chant, "Down with meat, dairy, and cattle ranchers. Eat more kale! And save the whales!"
What does this lead to? A backlash from the opposite opinion; pro-meat people. In most cases it's the Atkins, low-carb folks. And I've taken my fair share of backlash, especially when I was paid to shill. "You idiot," they scream, "Humans are hunters. We're supposed to only eat meat. The Masai live to a hundred on nothing but blood, guts, and offal. Oh, and screw the whales!"
Here's my point. Vegans and, for the lack of a better term, "low-carbers," represent a very small portion of the population. Both lifestyles are radical and too restrictive for the average American. People like to eat all sorts of things, for better or for worse.
A peeved off vegan or low-carber is like the guy standing in Times Square, screaming into a megaphone, "Sinners, the world is ending. You must repent!" Yeah, he's there, making a fuss, but no one is listening.
Now why do I bring this up? Well, this week, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) released the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, and I've already seen it taking heavy criticism from our two radical groups. It has too many grains and not enough beef for the low-carbers, and its not earthy-crunchy, uber-veggie enough for the vegans.
The gist of the new guidelines basically says, "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss." USDA officials are encouraging people to still enjoy their food, but eat in moderation and stick to healthier fare: nutrient-dense foods like vegetables, fruits, whole grains, fat-free or low-fat milk and dairy, seafood, lean meats and poultry, eggs, beans, and peas, and nuts and seeds. Also, the old standby advice: limit saturated fat, fast food, and refined sugar and sweets. No duh.
But guess what folks - pay attention vegans and low-carbers - those guidelines are the best the government can do, period.
The overwhelming majority of people eat some of this and some of that; which includes meat, grains, fruits, and vegetables. Maybe it's because we're omnivores. But if you choose to be a radical, either vegan or low-carb, go right ahead, just don't expect to lead a "food revolution." Your "revolutionary" diet (usually peddled by some fame-hungry, would-be "health" guru) will never be the norm. National health organizations will never roll out food reform that only advocates fruits and vegetables and no meat, or vise-versa.
Government health agencies have to address the masses, and the masses like meat, dairy, fruits, vegetables, sweets, salt, refined grains, whole grains, fast food, and everything else out there. The USDA is trying to strike a balance, which will hopefully inspire the majority of Americans to eat better.
Nobody cares about a handful of loudmouth vegans and low-carbers. Official diet guidelines will always include all sorts of foods - get over it.
Image credit: wizkid1
View the original article here
No comments:
Post a Comment