Tweet
So, I've been over at the www.usda.gov site looking at the "My Pyramid" section. The recommendations for a 34 year old female who exercises 30 to 60 minutes a day are as follows:
6 oz of grains
2.5 cups of vegetables (WHAT???)
2 cups of fruits
3 cups of milk
5.5 ounces of meat
One of the things that stands out for me right from the get-go is the 2.5 cups of vegetables. Wow. We get that during induction. So, what is it with all the anti-Atkins "health nuts" complaining that we don't eat fruits and vegetables? There are days that I eat, on this unhealthy eating plan
, about 6 cups of vegetables a day.
So I don't eat the 6 servings of grains. I more than make up for it in vegetables...and most of those in higher fiber vegetables. today I had 23 grams of fiber through my vegetables. I just can't imagine our foraging ancestors...or even our ancestors in eras past where it was hard to come by raw whole grain sources, let alone refined grain sources having access to that much raw whole grains. And even if they could, did their diet really consist of 6 servings a day? I'd think that the bulk of their diet came from vegetables that could be picked and immediately consumed. How many of the whole grains can be taken from their source and consumed immediately?
5.5 ounces a day TOTAL of meat and legumes (also included in this category is eggs and nuts)? I plugged their menu into fitday, it's terribly low in protein as a percentage of total calories (19%). As someone who does weight lifting from time to time, I can't help but be surprised at the low amount of protein in this diet.
What I was VERY surprised at was that even following the food pyramid, % of calories coming from fat is 46% on my choices from their lists. I chose both skinless chicken breast and lean beef. So, is atkins really that much higher in fat as a percentage of calories compared to what Mypyramid is showing?
If I make two small changes in fitday to this diet--substituting vegetables for the grains serving for serving, and increase my meat (protein/fat) or add in a serving of nuts, my ratios immediately get closer to an Atkins Ongoing Weight Loss phase ratio at 48/22/33 (increasing the meat) or 54/19/27 (adding 1.5 ounces of walnuts)
So, I would love to know what the argument for our bodies NEEDING that much whole grain per day. How does the government figure that?
BTW, After clicking around, some of those "cups" are actually servings. 1.5 ounces of natural cheese counts as a cup of milk.
6 oz of grains
2.5 cups of vegetables (WHAT???)
2 cups of fruits
3 cups of milk
5.5 ounces of meat
One of the things that stands out for me right from the get-go is the 2.5 cups of vegetables. Wow. We get that during induction. So, what is it with all the anti-Atkins "health nuts" complaining that we don't eat fruits and vegetables? There are days that I eat, on this unhealthy eating plan
, about 6 cups of vegetables a day.So I don't eat the 6 servings of grains. I more than make up for it in vegetables...and most of those in higher fiber vegetables. today I had 23 grams of fiber through my vegetables. I just can't imagine our foraging ancestors...or even our ancestors in eras past where it was hard to come by raw whole grain sources, let alone refined grain sources having access to that much raw whole grains. And even if they could, did their diet really consist of 6 servings a day? I'd think that the bulk of their diet came from vegetables that could be picked and immediately consumed. How many of the whole grains can be taken from their source and consumed immediately?
5.5 ounces a day TOTAL of meat and legumes (also included in this category is eggs and nuts)? I plugged their menu into fitday, it's terribly low in protein as a percentage of total calories (19%). As someone who does weight lifting from time to time, I can't help but be surprised at the low amount of protein in this diet.
What I was VERY surprised at was that even following the food pyramid, % of calories coming from fat is 46% on my choices from their lists. I chose both skinless chicken breast and lean beef. So, is atkins really that much higher in fat as a percentage of calories compared to what Mypyramid is showing?
If I make two small changes in fitday to this diet--substituting vegetables for the grains serving for serving, and increase my meat (protein/fat) or add in a serving of nuts, my ratios immediately get closer to an Atkins Ongoing Weight Loss phase ratio at 48/22/33 (increasing the meat) or 54/19/27 (adding 1.5 ounces of walnuts)
So, I would love to know what the argument for our bodies NEEDING that much whole grain per day. How does the government figure that?
BTW, After clicking around, some of those "cups" are actually servings. 1.5 ounces of natural cheese counts as a cup of milk.
{{{{{{{{{{{mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmegs}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}} 
)
Comment