January/February 2004
HEALTH BYTES

New food pyramid may include fewer carbs

      A panel of nutrition experts has asked the government to revise its dietary guidelines, outlined in the USDA’s food pyramid, to include fewer carbohydrates and more fats. At a recent hearing of the Senate's Consumer Affairs and Product Safety Subcommittee, experts charged that the food pyramid’s emphasis on carbohydrates such as bread and pasta have contributed to the nation’s increasing epidemic of obesity, heart disease and other degenerative diseases. The panel recommended that protein and unsaturated, “healthy” fats should figure more prominently in most American’s diets, and that the pyramid should be revised to reflect increasing knowledge of the beneficial role of unsaturated fats. Currently, the food pyramid recommends six to 11 servings of carbohydrates a day (the equivalent of six to 11 slices of bread), and combines saturated fats, unsaturated fats and sweets in one group.