Harvard's new food pyramid

thank you for the new pyramid . health is one of my fave subjects. i know that a lot of green vegs. is very good for ones health . what does a person do if you get very bloated from a lot of vegs? the gassy ones affect me . i have to avoid the good ones like broccoli , peas , most beans etc . gas x , beano , or nothing else works to help . i feel terrible that i am missing out .any ideas ? i eat correctly , fish , very little meat , hi fiber , flax , etc . thank you for any response . stuart , boston , ma

Thank you for including exercise - physiological aspect of Nutrition is so important

Sometimes if you hit the ground running and consume amounts of fruits and veggies that your body is not used to handling, your intestines are going to react adversely initially. I'd recommend starting slowly and introducing new foods gradually - kind of wait and see how your body reacts before you go all out. Also, everyone has a different tolerance for the typical gas-causing foods you speak of. If it becomes too uncomfortable for you, then either reduce the amount of that food you eat or eliminate it for a while and then try it again in a few weeks. Also, the kind of fiber you take in can sometimes cause intestinal distress. Bottom line: start slow, start a food journal so you can document your feelings after eating something new, and be patient! Also, try extra strength phazyme for the gas bubbles. Good luck!

For gas and bloating, I have used a herbal called Fennel Seed for the temporary relief. taylor, lewes,de

Thank you for the information so far. My own problem is that I love to eat a lot of green vegetables for all it's values. But I wear a heart valve which requires me to take coumadin daily. Green vegetables and fish oils are said to neutralize the effects of coumadin. Avoiding them lowers my hemoglobin. Foods that contain Vit D are also rich in Vit. E. How can I juggle this table to suit my condition. Adebisi, Albany, GA

I am so glad to read that I'm not the only person in the US who thinks the government took leave of their senses when they created that awful stack of triangles:-) Hooray for Harvard.

A healthy bowel is essential in eliminating problems with excessive gas production. Taking acidophilus is a good way to promote healthy flora in the bowel. Now, there are acidiphilus caps that are stable at room temperature. The convenience of not having them hidden away in the frig encourages daily ingestion and less gas!

Instead of a comment, I have a question concerning sodium intake. Sea salt is now the sodium of choice for a lot of people who use sea salt instead of table salt because "it consists of less sodium." From reading the labels on sea salt and table salt it seems to me that the ingredients are the same.

Could you help me in knowing if sea salt and table salt have differing amounts of sodium and if using sea salt instead of table salt results in less sodium intake.

If you have references, it would be nice to see them, too .

I find your recommendations on meat proteins especially narrow. "Never eat bacon or ham"? How much would a couple of slices of bacon or ham once a month shorten my life, a day or two, a week? And never eat pork or lamb etc? They are full of the natural B vitamins that the food industry synthetically puts in so many foods. Vitamins incidentally, not found in chicken. Also there are lean cuts of pork, ( pork is getting leaner all the time) that ribval the low fat content of poultry. Grass fed beef and buffalo are much leaner with less cholosterol than the lot fed beef that many grocery stores offer. Then there is the wild meat that some of us are lucky enough to have access to, like venison, elk, and moose that is low in fat without all the hormones and antibiotics of chicken and lot fed animals

By the way, what are all the hormones and antibiotics doing to our health and the health of young children and their growth patterns?

I can't help but think that the people doing the pyramid had agendas other than promotion of healthy eating habits.

Response to Adebisi - I also take coumadin, and understand your concerns about green vegetables which contain vitamin K. Know, though, that it's mostly dark green leafy vegetables like spinach, kale, and broccoli (to list just a few) that have high levels of vitamin K. There are lots of other veggies which are just fine. I try to go for a highly colored dinner plate (the green of asparagus, the orange of sweet potatoes, the yellow of summer squash) and then I can eat healthfully without affecting my coumadin intake. Hope this helps - Jean

As a person with celiac disease and a medical writer, I am concerned about the focus on grains I see in this pyramid. There is a great deal of evidence that high grain consumption can be highly inflammatory. I'm glad that grains are balanced by fresh fruits/veggies on the new pyramid, but I would like to see a reputable organization like Harvard address what is already known about grains -- they're not that good for you. Yes, they provide excellent fiber which we desperately need in our diets, but grains break down to sugars, and sugars are inflammatory. In a world where osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and other auto-immune disorders are on the rise, we can't ignore the inflammatory effects of the foods we eat, regardless of the wheat lobbies' influences.

I appreciate the clarity of this new pyramid as well as the emphasis on exercise and healthy weight. I also like the prominence of Vitamin D supplementation, olive oil and protein alternatives to mea.

As a registered dietitian and a pediatric nutrition specialist for 3 decades I am disappointed to see that the information on this pyramid is targeted exclusively for adults. I wish there was a statement to that effect.

Also, I am really concerned that this pyramid perpetuates the myth that dairy products have to be high in fat! There are so may fat free alternatives. And while there might be better ways to obtain calcium and Vit. D, most Americans are not familiar with alternatives and are not likely at this time to embrace those alternatives.

Is there a peer-reviewed publication that reports on this new pyramid?

I am concerned that you included the Omega-6 oils, including corn and soy, as "healthy oils.) Dr. Artemis Simopolous set goals to improve the Omega 3 to Omega 6 ratio, not increase Omega 6's.

This pyramid is equally as insane as the governments pyramid. Read "The China Study," which was the most comprehensive study of nutrition ever conducted – 94,000 correlations, 8000 statistically significant, and you will soon learn the that evidence is clear that it is animal protein, principally dairy, that is the major cause of cancer and heart disease. Is Harvard completely ignorant of these scientific facts? Furthermore, any physician or scientist worth their salt knows that dairy promotes IGF-1, which is a powerful promoter of breast cancer. As for "Oil." So I have a question, when did "oil" become a food group? Where is the mention of the fact that research has shown that consuming oil of any type increases tumor growth by 200%, or that Studies measuring blood vessel dilation have shown olive oil to constrict blood flow as much as saturated fat. And lets not forget that one tablespoon of oil contains 130 calories and 14 grams of fat. Explain to me how this makes one healthier??? Finally, suggesting that alcohol is good for people is completely ignorant of the facts and irresponsible. Alcohol promotes weight gain! If you want the antioxidants that come from the grapes, eat the grapes, but always it is best to refrain from alcohol. I could go on and on with this nonsensical food pyramid. It is for the weak and for those who want to be made to feel good about poor dietary choices. Shame on Harvard for misleading the ignorant masses and appeasing big industry!

Eat from this pyramid and you will not stop caner or reverse heart disease. At best you will only slow the progression of heart disease.

Thank you for the 'more' logical and realistic food pyramid.

For the elderly, vitamins have always been an essential part of mainyaining health. Isn't it about time that Massachusetts stopped taxing vitamins? Halloween candy is not taxed but vitamins are taxed. Illogial!