New guidelines flip the food pyramid on its head

I'm switching from topical posts to evergreen and holiday entries today. PBS NewsHour explaining Why experts are divided over the new federal dietary guidelines is both topical and evergreen, so it makes for the perfect transition.

The Trump administration released new dietary guidelines that will shape everything from school lunches to medical advice. The guidance puts a bigger emphasis on eating more protein and dairy, something Health Secretary Kennedy has long sought. William Brangham discussed the recommendations with Lindsey Smith Taillie, a nutrition epidemiologist and co-director of the Global Food Research Program.

Hearing Lindsey Smith Taillie talk about ultraprocessed food reminds me that I have two questions about the topic in 'Food, Inc. 2' worksheet for National Food Day.

16. What in ultraprocessed foods drives appetites/overeating?
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19. How much of U.S. calorie intake comes from ultraprocessed food? France? Brazil? Italy?

I haven't shown Food, Inc. 2 either enough times or that recently to have the answers to both questions memorized in detail, but generally the response to the first involves additives to make ultraprocessed food more appetizing while that for the second is that Americans get the majority of our calories from ultrprocessed food while citizens of the other countries eat much less, generally around a quarter. Americans should eat less ultraprocessed food and more whole foods. Yes, I'm agreeing with RFK Jr. on this issue. File that under a stuck clock being right twice a day, and RFK Jr. is definitely a stuck clock.

That's the good news about the food guidelines. The bad news is the recommendation to eat more meat and dairy. That's not good for either health or the environment. Here are the questions I ask my students about the effects of meat and dairy on the environment.

9. Why are dairy farms moving from Wisconsin to California and Arizona and what are the environmental costs, especially on water? Answer both parts of the question.
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24. Which food contributes most to climate change?

Dairy production requires a lot of water, which is in short supply in California and Arizona, where dairy farmers are moving to because those states have lower non-water costs. As Smith Taillie mentioned, beef has very high environmental costs, including being the food that contributes most to climate change.

William Brangham mentioned that FDA loosened its guidence on alcohol consumption. That got the attention of Stephen Colbert and his writers in Rubio: U.S. Wants To Buy Greenland | Stealing Venezuela's Oil | Dr. Oz: Booze Brings People Together. Skip to 9:04.

The Secretary of State says America's goal is not to invade Greenland but to purchase it from Denmark, President Trump said he will sell 50 million barrels of Venezuela's oil and that he will determine where the profits go, and the FDA removed its own guidance on how much alcohol is safe to drink on a daily basis.

Ultraprocessed food, meat, and dairy may be more important, but booze is funnier. Why do my readers think I post so many cocktail recipes? Because they're fun; I actually drink very little, as I lost interest in alcohol once I developed diabetes. Priorities.

Speaking of priorities, I have to do some maintainence then go to work to prepare for the new semester. See you all tomorrow!