Back in September 2011 Harvard School of Public Health released a new guide to healthy eating, called Healthy Eating Plate which differs from the U.S. Government’s MyPlate.
The main difference? Harvard includes a glass of water with the meal, NOT milk/dairy product. Another difference is that it includes a bottle of oil containing information about healthy fats. Also, the government’s plate has no descriptions about any of the categories. It’s more just a picture, whereas Harvard’s plate goes into detail in each category explaining the healthiest option.
In my opinion, Harvard not including milk/dairy products in their healthy plate is a big deal. Dairy is definitely a product that, both in Canada and the US, is pushed heavily. Remember all the Got Milk ads? We, the public, are told by our government that if we don’t have dairy/milk at every meal there will be health problems in the future.
Harvard is informing us that there is no evidence that we need the amount of calcium that is recommended and that there is no evidence suggesting that dairy products are the best source for our calcium needs. They are suggesting that we can get our calcium and Vit D sources elsewhere such as “bok choy, fortified soy milk, baked beans, and supplements that contain both calcium and vitamin D”. If you do choose to have dairy, they suggest limiting your daily intake to 1-2 servings a day since "considerable evidence that too-high intakes [of dairy products] can be harmful","high intake[s] can increase the risk of prostate cancer and possibly ovarian cancer", "Plus, dairy products can be high in saturated fat as well as retinol (vitamin A), which at high levels can paradoxically weaken bones."
Who's take on healthy eating/drinking do you think is correct?
Well I came across this website http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-09/hsop-hrl091311.php . And in it I found this statement:
"Unfortunately, like the earlier U.S. Department of Agriculture Pyramids, MyPlate mixes science with the influence of powerful agricultural interests, which is not the recipe for healthy eating," said Walter Willett, Professor of Epidemiology and Nutrition and chair of the Department of Nutrition at HSPH. "The Healthy Eating Plate is based on the best available scientific evidence and provides consumers with the information they need to make choices that can profoundly affect our health and well being."
That to me is a very powerful statement being made.
How do you feel? Does this change your thoughts on dairy at all?
More information can be found at:
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/healthy-eating-plate/
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