Don't Forget Your Milk and Cookies!

Did you know that in 1912, the government recommended bread, a giant serving of milk, and cookies as a healthy dinner?  They also recommended cutting back on fruit and veggies since they weren't high in protein.  Milk and cookies were the recommended diet for energy for factory workers.

Parents were told to choose whole milk over skim and don't forget to butter your bread!

In 1939, the USDA recommended getting your vitamins from cereal and butter.

So now you're thinking, "well, that was a long time ago.  Surely we've come a long way since then."

In 1992, concerned about high fat diets that were causing heart disease, the USDA produced the Food Guide Pyramid, which we all know and love, recommending 6-11 servings from the "Bread, Cereal, Rice, and Pasta Group."  As a matter of fact, considered more nutritious than fat- any fat, including the healthy ones - was saltines and white bread.

The Food Guide Pyramid gets even shadier.  “In 1998, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) filed a federal lawsuit against the USDA and the Department of Health and Human Services.  PCRM claimed that federal laws were violated when the USDA selected six out of the eleven people with financial ties to various food industries to serve on the Dieteary Guidelines Advisory Committee….[These] affiliations included the American Meat Institute, National Livestock and Beef Board, the American Egg Board, the National Dairy Promotion and Research Program, the National Dairy Council, Dannon Company (yogurt), Mead Johnson Nutritionals (milk-based infant formulas), Nestle (milk-based formulas, ice cream, condensed milk, and Slim-Fast (milk-based diet products.)  How dare they?” – Skinny Bitch

And continuing in that vein, even the US surgeon general has propagated questionable information.  “In the first-ever report on the ‘state of the nation’s bones,’ the US surgeon general warned of an impending ‘osteoporosis crisis’ expected by the year 2020.  In order to ward off this potential disaster, the Surgeon General’s report recommended three glasses of milk a day.  [The report was issued by] The Department of Health and Human Services.  Trust no one.” – Skinny Bitch

If you remember the information on dairy, drinking milk can actually cause osteoporosis.  These authorities who we have trusted all our lives to tell us what to eat have ulterior motives.  Do the research.  A long and healthy life is worth it!

Of course, the USDA has introduced a new directive now:  "Fill half of your plate with fruit and veggies, half with grains and protein, and get a little low-fat dairy on the side."  Better, yes.  But do you want to take their word for it entirely?

Have you looked around?  Does everyone look healthy to you?  Somewhere along the food chain something has gone wrong.  Marketers actually have experimented to appeal to our chemistry - to make us crave unhealthy foods so that they can make money.

Watch:  Food, Inc.  Check out PCRM's site to stay on top of current legislation and how to make a difference.  The more you look, the more you find that is VERY interesting...