The government's new Pyramid Scheme With all the attention obesity's finally getting - and not just in the media, but in schools and in state legislatures and in government agencies like the CDCP and DHHS - you'd figure we'd start a bonfire with the decades-old dietary orthodoxy and try something new. And at the bottom of that pile should be the ridiculous Food Pyramid that's made us all as fat as prize heifers over the last 30 years. But NO! Our government's too dependant on the tax revenues generated by the refined foods industry to abandon the hopelessly grain-, starch-, and vegetable-biased system. So what do they do to answer the growing cacophony of criticism? They obfuscate. As though one inaccurate, outmoded, and downright lethal iconic dietary guide weren't enough, now they've gone and split it up into 12 different Food Pyramids. It's like the doggone thing went and had itself a litter! Supposedly, this dirty dozen is designed to encourage people to take a more active interest in their own body and metabolic type, then tailor a dietary plan to their own specific needs using the new Pyramid and other Web-based tools. The new guides are more confusing than the Department of Homeland Security's terror alerts. There are six different colors at play in the new system - each one representing a different food group, along with suggestions for portions and exercise recommendations. Yet even with the facelift, the device's variations all basically recommend a diet heavy in grains, cereals, vegetables and fruits, while also still underemphasizing the importance of meats, eggs, oils, nuts and the like, according to a recent Associated Press article. In other words, it's the same old same old. Just goes to show you can't polish a turnip. This new system isn't all bad, though. There is one GOOD thing about these 12 Internet-custom-tailored Food-n-Exercise Pyramids: They're so confusing and labor-intensive that they'll no doubt drive people to throw up their arms in exasperation and look elsewhere for a new approach to diet, nutrition and weight loss... Like maybe the proven Atkins diet or any number of other simple, low-carb, high-protein and animal-fat diets that'll really make a difference in their health and lives. And speaking of the weight loss front, here's some news I've been hoping to hear for a long time... **************************************************** A Federal court has struck down the FDA's ban on Ephedra. Last year's unwarranted ban on the centuries-proven substance marked the first time I know of that the Feds have stepped into the realm of regulating nutritional supplements. I thought at the time the move represented a probable first step toward "prescriptionizing" (and patenting and taxing) all medicinal foodstuffs, no matter how long they've safely been in use. Once the ephedra ban took effect, I imagined it would only be a matter of time before everything from ginseng to St. John's wort to valerian root to vitamin C would be under the control of the government - and their fat-cat buddies at the major drug makers. Hopefully, this action by a federal judge will send a clear message to the FDA: Until you can ensure that our DRUGS are safe, keep your noses out of our foods! Though the media made much hay out of some highly publicized deaths that were loosely linked to ephedra supplements (including a major-league relief pitcher bent on losing a lot of weight fast), evidence in some of those cases showed blatant misuse of the product. My response to both the media and the FDA goons who strong-armed ephedra off the shelf last year is this: Eat enough of anything and it'll kill you. Using this same logic, shouldn't they ban breakfast cereals? They're responsible for more deaths from diabetes, heart disease, cancer and stroke than all the nutritional supplements in the world ever could be. Tearing down the Pyramids, William Campbell Douglass II, MD | 
