USE THE GLYCEMIC INDEX, NOT THE FOOD PYRAMID (9-2003)

When I was in elementary school, back in the days when 
students’ desks had ink wells even if they hadn’t been used 
for some time, we learned that there were four food groups 
and that a good diet would consist of food from each one of 
these groups every day. 
 
We also learned that some food groups were better than 
others. I don’t really remember what the food groups were, 
or which ones were better. But I do remember the ones 
containing the best-tasting foods were the bad ones. 
 
Eventually, to make things simpler to remember, the U.S. 
Department of Agriculture came up with another idea. They 
would replace the cumbersome old four-food-groups system 
with a slick new pyramid scheme. 
 
Everyone knew what a pyramid looked like: It was broad at 
the base and pointed near the top. The idea was to cordon 
off segments of the pyramid and put food items in it. The 
bigger the segment, the more servings of that food you were 
supposed to eat. 
 
The USDA put breads, potatoes, and other starches at the 
base, meaning you could eat a lot of those things. Above 
that were things like fruits and vegetables. Then came the 
nuts and meats, and above that – at the very top – they put 
the fatty foods. 
 
So, now, a generation after our good-meaning friends in the 
government introduced America to its new-fangled food 
pyramid, most of us are fatter and unhealthier than ever. 
Could the USDA have gotten it wrong? 
 
You bet it could have – and did. 
 
Today, most nutritionists and health care professionals 
around the world are aware of a serious flaw in the USDA’s 
food pyramid. It treats all fats the same (they’re bad), 
and all carbohydrates the same (they’re good). 
 
But just as there are good apples and bad apples, there are 
also good fats and bad fats. There are also good carbs and 
bad carbs. The food pyramid doesn’t tell you which ones to 
eat, so obviously, we eat the best tasting ones, which 
happen to be mainly the bad ones. And because we’re 
following the government’s advice about what to eat, we 
must be getting healthier. But it’s apparent that we’re 
not. 
 
The latest research has discovered that those who eat 
certain types of fats, namely monounsaturated fats such as 
olive oil and those containing omega-3 fatty acids like 
fish oil, are healthier and have fewer heart problems. 
 
On the other hand, the trans-fats, found in commercially-
prepared baked goods, stick margarine, and shortenings, are 
the worst fats of all. The verdict is still out on 
saturated fats. Most health care professionals say to steer 
clear of them, but others claim they are basically neutral, 
health wise.  
 
And what is true of fats is also true of carbohydrates. 
Studies on something called the glycemic index, which 
measures how rapidly certain carbohydrates are converted 
into blood sugar, show that not all carbohydrates are 
equal. 
 
The general rule of thumb is that the more highly-processed 
a carbohydrate is, the worse it is for you. But fiber-rich 
vegetables, fruits, and even some whole grains are 
generally considered healthy. 
 
Things like white or wheat bread, most cold breakfast 
cereals, donuts, cakes, and potatoes contain the fastest-
acting carbs – the worst carbs. In fact, a plain baked 
potato is far worse than plain table sugar from a glycemic 
standpoint. And if you must eat bread, it is healthier to 
dip it into an olive oil spread, or even butter, than to 
eat it with nothing, because the added fat slows the 
conversion of the starch into blood sugar. 
 
But although the World Heath Organization has embraced the 
new ideas about nutrition, American organizations like the 
American Heart Association and the American Diabetic 
Association have been slow to change their decades-old 
recommendations on dieting. I guess it would just be too 
embarrassing for them to admit that they have been wrong 
all these years. 
 
Apparently, they would rather stick to their guns and 
continue to put American’s health in jeopardy than to 
acknowledge that they may have been wrong and accept the 
embarrassment.