International Food Chart Comparisons Discussion

Emerald1

Emerald1

New member
Shall we discuss the similarities, differences, or dis/agreements about food charts around the world?

How do you think it has played a role in each country's view of food or obesity rates? Do you feel the charts are accurate? Should they be changed? Which country do you think is closer to understanding a balanced or healthy diet?

Here are three countries so far.

United States: both old and new
Italy
Japan
(feel free to post other countries!)

Notice the locations of vegetables, fats and carbohydrates in each one.
 
Here's some Australian images. Second image derived from: (the top of it says "The Australian Guide to Healthy Eating. Enjoy a variety of foods every day") Page 10 of that PDF (the page after the second image) gives recommendations on how many serves people should eat- let's see, for women aged 19-60 who aren't pregnant/ breastfeeding, 4-9 serves of cereals (inc. bread, rice, pasta, noodles), 5 serves vegetables/ legumes, 2 serves fruit, 2 serves dairy, 1 serve lean meat, and 0-2.5 "extra" (I think they're being kind. This is the "crap" category). They give different categories for men in the same age group, women over 60, men over 60, pregnant women, breastfeeding women, and children of various ages. (This is probably not what most people have access to- my only real recollection is "eat less fat, eat lots of complex carbs, 5 veg and 2 fruit")

This is the information on the NHS website on generally applicable nutrition in England (the third image is the UK Eatwell plate):

The eatwell plate shows the different types of food we need to eat – and in what proportions – to have a well balanced and healthy diet.

It's a good idea to try to get this balance right every day, but you don't need to do it at every meal. And you might find it easier to get the balance right over a longer period, say a week.

Based on the eatwell plate, you should try to eat:

Plenty of fruit and vegetables
Did you know that we should be eating at least five portions of a variety of fruit and veg every day.


Plenty of potatoes, bread, rice, pasta and other starchy foods
Choose wholegrain varieties whenever you can.

Some milk and dairy foods

Some meat, fish, eggs, beans and other non-dairy sources of protein

Just a small amount of foods and drinks high in fat and/or sugar

Try to choose options that are lower in salt when you can.

Is the eatwell plate for me?

The eatwell plate applies to most people – whether they're a healthy weight or overweight, whether they eat meat or are vegetarian, and no matter what their ethnic origin.

However, it doesn't apply to children under the age of two because they have different nutritional needs. Between the ages of two and five, children should gradually move to eating the same foods as the rest of the family, in the proportions shown on the eatwell plate. Find out more in Feeding your baby and Weaning and beyond in the Birth to five guide.

Anyone with special dietary requirements or medical needs might want to check with a registered dietitian whether the eatwell plate applies to them.
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As to recommendations, I don't know. It was weird moving to the UK and discovering that they were (by my standards) much more "lax" when it came to fruit and vegetables. I'm sort of up in the air about the whole thing and how it should apply to my life. I just try to get lots of fresh food, a good range of calories, I watch my macronutrients (although I'm not sure how strict I should be), and limit my meat to usually a serve (100g or less) a day. (I pitch the UK's 5 a day as a minimum for fruit/ veg consumption, but am happier when I get to Australia's 5 veg 2 fruit)
 
They are very similar to the US and Japanese chart. Carbohydrates seems to be the main food group here.
 
"The pyramid, developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 1992, advises daily consumption of six to 11 servings of bread, cereal, rice, and pasta; two to three servings of meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs, and nuts; and sparing consumption of fats, oils, and sweets. Serving two masters is tricky business, especially when one of them includes persuasive and well-connected representatives of the formidable meat, dairy, and sugar industries. The end result of their tug-of-war is a set of positive, feel-good, all- inclusive recommendations that completely distort what could be the single most important tool for improving your health and the health of the nation.

"At best, the USDA Pyramid offers indecisive, scientifically unfounded advice on an absolutely vital topic--what to eat. At worst, the misinformation it offers contributes to overweight, poor health, and unnecessary early deaths."

USA Today reported that a startling 61% of U.S. citizens weigh too much, and about 26% are obese-30 pounds or more over a healthy weight.
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Below is Harvard's Food Pyramid remake
 
I love how they're doing away with the food pyramid because it's "too confusing" to follow. If it's "too confusing" for people to follow, then why do they teach it to 3rd graders? And why do the 3rd graders understand it?

HAHAHAHA, it just strikes me as funny, that's all.
 
Whaaaat? How is it too confusing? Seriously- little less, big more, pictures of stuff in each group. How completely stupid do they think people are?
 
Does anyone feel that there is a (large or small) correlation to the food charts and each country's obesity rates?
 
I don't know enough about differences in obesity rates, I'm afraid, but since I started calorie counting I've slashed the amount of grains, which both Australia (where I'm from) and the UK (where I now live) say should be the basis of your diet. If they were my predominant source of food, as they suggest, my calories would be sky high. So I'm sure that's part of it. I also thought when moving to the UK that a diet of 5 fruit and veg a day (including up to a glass of juice- I'm sorry, I see juice as mostly sugar water- and up to a serve of dried), rather than 5 veg 2 fruit as in Australia (only counting fresh), couldn't be as healthy and means that you have to get your nutrition from other places (which I can now confidently say will probably be more calorific). So to that extent yes, I can see it.
 
Emerald said:
Does anyone feel that there is a (large or small) correlation to the food charts and each country's obesity rates?
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I don't think that there is a direct tie between each country's food chart and its obesity rate. However, I do think that you can play Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon with it and indirectly tie the two together.

The food chart is a very vague representation of how health education is taught to our children. It's a very basic, simplified system that is used as an educational tool to inform people on how to eat a healthy and balanced diet. As a child, you are taught how to use the food pyramid and how to eat that all important healthy and balanced diet. But, as a child, you are also extremely rebellious against authority and easily influenced by your peers - a bad combination. At least, that's how it is in the United States.

Now, Japan (for example) doesn't have the same culture as we do. Japan is a more peaceful culture in which children both fear and respect authority. If a parent tells their child to do something, the child does it; no questions asked. It's their culture. The children don't rebel, because it's not in their nature (they don't allow it).

In the US, on the other hand, kids don't fear or respect their parents like the Japanese children do. Kids in the US are raised to get whatever they want. And, in turn, that teaches children that they don't have to fear or respect their parents. If a parent tells their child to do something, the child doesn't immediately do it; there is rebellion and defiance. It's our culture. The children rebel, because it's in our nature (we allow it).

Now, compare those two cultures in respect to the food pyramid. The Japanese kids, who do what they're told, will eat healthy foods because their parents tell them to do so. Now, do you think the kids in the US, who do pretty much whatever they want, are going to eat steamed green beans or sauteed brocolli if their parent tells them to do so? Or, are they going to choose to rebel and throw a fit until they get pizza for dinner?

The pizza wins. Our cultures are different. In the United States, pizza (or any other unhealthy food choice) will often win because the parents allow it - it's part of our culture. But, in Japan, pizza (or any other unhealthy food choice) probably isn't even an option - it's not part of their culture.
 
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A two-decade old icon of healthy eating--the food pyramid—is now ancient history. In what the US Department of Agriculture calls a “monumental effort” to improve the nation’s diet amid the obesity epidemic, the government has dished up a new plate-shaped graphic, to debut on June 2 with massive fanfare from the Obama administration.
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Emerald said:
Does anyone feel that there is a (large or small) correlation to the food charts and each country's obesity rates?
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As fas as the US is concerned I'd say the frequency of eating out, portion size (free fizzy drink refils), low cost of junkfood, widespread availability of coke/junk in school cafeteria's.

All in all I'm amazed the US isn't even further ahead in the obesity race.

Ask 100 adults about the food pyramid and my guess is you'll get 90 blank stares.
 
Please have a look at this video. This island is obese because of us, the USA.

You can say it's their own fault, but I'd disagree.
In a way, it's an extreme mirror of the U.S. Ultimately I think some of the blame for obesity should be put on the food service industry.
 
^^ I heard about that. It's embarrassing...


The new "Food Plate" came out today. It's replacing the US Food Pyramid.
 
Monster said:
Please have a look at this video. This island is obese because of us, the USA.

You can say it's their own fault, but I'd disagree.
In a way, it's an extreme mirror of the U.S. Ultimately I think some of the blame for obesity should be put on the food service industry.
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Yes, some of the blame belongs to the food service industry, but an equal amount of blame rests on the shoulders of the people who choose to eat that food.

Just because McDonald's is located a few blocks away, it doesn't mean I have to eat there. If I do, it's my choice. And, people need to take responsibility for the choices they make in their lives.
 
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ChefChiTown said:
Just because McDonald's is located a few blocks away, it doesn't mean I have to eat there. If I do, it's my choice. And, people need to take responsibility for the choices they make in their lives.
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This is the argument I use when people say "I moved to the US and while I lived there it made me fat. But when I went back to my home country I lost all of the weight."

It wasn't living in the US that made them gain weight. It was eating more than their body needed that made them gain weight. This will happen no matter where they live if they chose to eat that way. It was their own decision to put each food item into their mouth. If they didn't eat "junk food" in their original home, why move to another place and eat "junk food" and then blame that place?
 
Emerald said:

This is the argument I use when people say "I moved to the US and while I lived there it made me fat. But when I went back to my home country I lost all of the weight."

It wasn't living in the US that made them gain weight. It was eating more than their body needed that made them gain weight. This will happen no matter where they live if they chose to eat that way. It was their own decision to put each food item into their mouth. If they didn't eat "junk food" in their original home, why move to another place and eat "junk food" and then blame that place?
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We had a long debate about this in culinary school. It was during our menu planning class and our chef made us think about our menu choices; the ingredients in each dish, the nutrition of each dish, allergies, etc. And, he made us have a really big debate to discuss who is responsible for the health of the customers - the restaurants serving the food or the customers eating the food?

Everybody has their own point of view on the matter - some blame the restaurants, others blame the customers, others blame both. Personally, especially having worked in many restaurants, I can honestly say that the responsibility goes to both parties involved; the restaurant AND the customer.

I could sit here and talk about this topic all day long (as it is one that irks me to no end), but I won't. I'll just say that it is our fault for getting so fat. Nobody is making us eat McDonald's. But, it is rather convenient having one on every corner. But, it doesn't mean I have to eat there. But, it's really cheap and tastes pretty good. But, there are other inexpensive and tasty options for me. But, McDonald's is right on the corner. But, but, but, but, but...
 
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