Food Pyramids of North America and Asia
...is with meats and dairy. In general, Americans love to eat meat at every meal while Asian eat red meat no more than once a month and poultry and fish in small quantities. The American pyramid recommends two to three servings of dairy (cheese, eggs and milk) daily, while in the Asian diet, dairy is an optional choice and is recommended in small amounts. Since dairy has always been considered a good source of calcium, needed to have strong and healthy bones, the Asian diet lacks calcium and should have a high rate of osteoporosis. That is not the case. According to Professor Campbell from Columbia University “the plant-based, dairy- free diets of much of Asia are linked to a low rate of osteoporosis,…in fact, Western countries, with their calcium largely taken in the form of dairy products, have significantly higher rates of osteoporosis." Physical activity is very important to a healthy lifestyle. Exercise has been included as the base of the Asian pyramid and should be incorporated into a daily routine. The American pyramid does not include exercise and it has been found in America that the lack of exercise can lead to chronic illness and obesity as a result of being inactive. Exercise not only helps with stress but it also helps to keep the body and mind healthy. The Asian pyramid recommends alcohols in moderation, as some alcohols such as a glass of red wine a day can be healthy. Also six glass of water and or teas, such as black and green tea are recommended on a daily basis. The Asian pyramid suggests using vegetable oils rather than other fatty oils. There are many benefits to the food pyramid for the United States, but there are only two benefits that really make a big difference between a healthy and unhealthy diet. The first benefit is that the United States food pyramid recommends grained foods such as breads and pastas, which supply the body with carbohydrates (Wardlaw 111). Carbohydrates provide energy by being converted into sugars or glycogen, which supplies the body with energy (Grodner 84). Along with sugars, come grains also provide fiber for the body which allows for bowel regulation (Grodner 13). Along with grains, the pyramid also suggests fruits and vegetables which provide the body with proteins that turn into amino acids and regulate the function of metabolism (Grodner 189). While the United States food pyramid has many benefits; they problems with the recommendations seem to outweigh those benefits, making the some recommendations questionable. The pyramid does suggest breads, pastas, rice and cereals all of which are healthy for the body, there are two types of grains: refined and unrefined. The pyramid should make the distinction and recommend whole grained foods which are unrefined. When a grain is refined, it loses many of it nutrients, which can be essential to the body and its functions (Grodner 102). Another problem with the pyramid is that it recommends red meats on a daily basis. Red meats are loaded with saturated fats and cholesterol which are not healthy for the heart and can lead to many cardiac problems and also obesity (Grodner 111). Along with the recommendation of red meats, the pyramid also recommends dairy products. While there are benefits to the calcium in dairy, it has been found that dairy products can also cause many problems due to their fat content and their high amounts of calories (Grodner 41). Dairy products can also be a problem for those who are lactose intolerant. The Asian diet seems to have many more benefits than problems. The Asian diet rather then lumping together fruits, vegetables and legumes, it separates them into three categories recommending servings in each. This is essential as all three categories provide essential nutrients for the body (Grodner 189). Als...