Food groups research: Choose My Plate
How dangerous is sugar in a child’s diet? Choosing to eat healthy is an important aspect of a great lifestyle. Research consistently finds a strong relationship between poor diet and negative health outcomes. With child obesity on the increase healthy eating isn’t just an adult concern. Recently the US Department of Agriculture updated the familiar food pyramid model. They have called the new model “Choose My Plate.” They suggest the following for healthy eating:
- Enjoy your food, but eat smaller servings.
- Make half your plate vegetables and fruit.
- Make at least half your grains whole grains.
- Change to fat-free or low-fat milk
- Check the salt (sodium) content of foods and go with the one that has less.
- Avoid sugary drinks but indulge with natures best – water.
Is sugar toxic?
Nearly all processed foods have some form of sugar in them, but what is it doing to our health? Dr. Robert Lustig argues sugar is “the most demonized additive known to man.” What makes his argument persuasive is he is a leading expert in childhood obesity at the University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine. This scientist is top in his field. In a lecture reported by the New York Times, he believes that excessive consumption of sugar is the main reason why there has been a significant increase in obesity and diabetes in America. He also suggests there is a link between sugar intake and chronic aliments like heart disease, hypertension and many of the common cancers. You can check out his lecture on YouTube “Sugar: The Bitter Truth.” While critics might debate his findings, parents know it’s not smart giving your child a can of Sprite before bedtime. Those teaspoons of sugar create bedtime chaos!
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