I've heard a lot of bad things about the food pyramids that schools/govt etc promote as the basis for healthy eating (ie that they're sponsored by lobbyists for the dairy/meat/grain farming community etc and more marketing than based in scientific or nutritional fact) and was just wondering whether there was any impartial alternative or similar guide to optimal nutrition that isn't just selling one particular take/lifestyle.
Mostly I just get so confused and frustrated reading all the contradictory stuff on the web and in the press - soy is evil; dairy is evil; meat is evil; wheat is evil; sugar is evil; eat like the French; eat like the Italians; eat like the Japanese; soy is the best food ever; dairy is the best food ever; animal fat is the best food ever... You know what I mean?
My general feeling is fresh veg and fruit is the most important so always pack as much of that into our meals. I'm vegetarian but do fish or meat for the kids probably once every week or two. We also do lots of veggie proteins (beans, lentils etc) and eggs, though if I were to compare our diet to the average (or my perception of the average) I'd say we're probably up on fresh veg, down on protein and in terms of weight and recommended daily amounts (again thanks to hugely variant online sources!) we're probably down on protein a bit (or a lot dependent on the specific source!). My instinct is to think the kids eat well, have a varied diet, eat fresh food and are growing well (both are top of the scale for height, slightly lower but still above average for weight) and developing well so not to worry, but I seem to worry despite my instincts. I read somewhere about a population on an island somewhere who had a very fish based diet and due to some socio-economic change switched to a much more carb-based diet very quickly and the young generation of that time and subsequent ones developed bad eyesight as a result of the lack of protein. But then on the other hand, I hear that in the West we all eat much more protein than we need...?
Sorry that turned into a bit of ramble - these things are always weighing on my mind. I'd be really interested to hear if anyone else finds it all as confusing as me or if I'm just a bit of a crazy...
Mostly I just get so confused and frustrated reading all the contradictory stuff on the web and in the press - soy is evil; dairy is evil; meat is evil; wheat is evil; sugar is evil; eat like the French; eat like the Italians; eat like the Japanese; soy is the best food ever; dairy is the best food ever; animal fat is the best food ever... You know what I mean?
My general feeling is fresh veg and fruit is the most important so always pack as much of that into our meals. I'm vegetarian but do fish or meat for the kids probably once every week or two. We also do lots of veggie proteins (beans, lentils etc) and eggs, though if I were to compare our diet to the average (or my perception of the average) I'd say we're probably up on fresh veg, down on protein and in terms of weight and recommended daily amounts (again thanks to hugely variant online sources!) we're probably down on protein a bit (or a lot dependent on the specific source!). My instinct is to think the kids eat well, have a varied diet, eat fresh food and are growing well (both are top of the scale for height, slightly lower but still above average for weight) and developing well so not to worry, but I seem to worry despite my instincts. I read somewhere about a population on an island somewhere who had a very fish based diet and due to some socio-economic change switched to a much more carb-based diet very quickly and the young generation of that time and subsequent ones developed bad eyesight as a result of the lack of protein. But then on the other hand, I hear that in the West we all eat much more protein than we need...?
Sorry that turned into a bit of ramble - these things are always weighing on my mind. I'd be really interested to hear if anyone else finds it all as confusing as me or if I'm just a bit of a crazy...
