The New USDA Food Pyramid: Are They Finally Catching Up?
For years the USDA food pyramid told us to build our meals on bread, cereal, rice, and pasta, and to limit healthy fats and meats. And we wondered why the obesity rate kept getting higher, and people kept getting sicker. Obviously, something was wrong with this model and it wasn’t only in the US that this model was being used. Here in the UK, we followed suit.
If you already live a Keto or Carnivore lifestyle, you probably stopped paying attention to food pyramids a long time ago. You focused on protein, cut back on carbohydrates, and watched your health improve. So when the news came out that the USDA had updated its food guidance, most people figured it was more of the same bad advice. But here’s the surprising part: the new version makes a lot more sense then the old one did.
It’s still not perfect, but it does mean that they are at least moving in the right direction and that will influence the Western diet significantly. Let’s talk about that.
What was wrong with the old food pyramid?
The original food pyramid put grains at the very wide base of our diet. Six to eleven servings a day. That’s a lot of carbs. At the same time, it treated fat like the enemy, and meat was something you were only supposed to eat sparingly.
This way of eating is a huge problem because it keeps blood sugar levels high, creates insulin resistance, and eventually leads to obesity and metabolic disease. The old pyramid was literally the opposite of what we should be doing for optimal health and wellbeing.
When the original food pyramid was created, and why it was so carb heavy
The original USDA food pyramid was introduced in the early 1990’s. It was a federal food guide for the general public.
The large base of grains that the pyramid was founded on was supposed to be a way to keep food cheap and shelf-stable for a growing population, but don’t be fooled, there was more at play here: industry influence.
Sugar and grain industries had a lot to gain (and still do) from advice that encouraged people to eat more carbohydrates. These “foods” are highly profitable and easy to turn into packaged products.
People who are supposed to look after the nation’s health, became beholden to big money industry interests, and it cost the public. It’s easy to see why so many people followed the rules and still ended up unhealthy.
What did the new food pyramid change?
The new USDA guidance doesn’t look like the old pyramid anymore. Grains are no longer the foundation of every meal. The inverted pyramid now puts protein and animal foods at the top.
There’s also more focus on whole foods, instead of processed foods, and healthy fats are not being demonised the way they were before.
In short, they’re quietly backing away from some of their biggest dietary mistakes. It’s about time.
Keto and Carnivore had it right all along
For many of us, this new pyramid looks familiar, and that’s because we’ve already been eating this way.
Keto and Carnivore diets focus on healthy fats and protein, and cut out refined carbohydrates, and we didn’t need a food pyramid to figure this out. We learned by watching our waistlines get smaller and our health improving. But it’s nice to see the USDA finally catching on and now saying, in a roundabout way, that protein matters, and sugar is a problem.
Where the USDA still misses the mark
Even with these major improvements, the USDA still tries to make one set of rules fit everyone. They continue to promote “healthy carbs” as a daily requirement, even though many people do much better without them.
There’s very little talk about insulin resistance or metabolic health, and no real acknowledgement that some people thrive on low-carb to zero-carb diets.
So while the guidance is improving, it’s still not perfect.
The takeaway
The USDA didn’t suddenly discover better nutrition, they’re just finally starting to catch up to what many of us have already learned through experience.
If you’re already Keto or Carnivore and your health is improving, this update doesn’t mean you need to change anything. Keep doing what is working for you. It just means we were right, although we didn’t need the USDA to confirm it for us, our bodies already did that.
If you’re not following a Keto or Carnivore diet, maybe this new food pyramid can guide you in the right direction: focus on whole foods, healthy fats and proteins, and cut out refined carbohydrates and processed foods. That’s it, easy and simple.
