When I’m deciding what to have for supper, my first thought is not, “What would the Federal Government advise me to eat?” Instead, I’m usually considering whether I remembered to thaw out any meat, and what time it is. Even when it’s 6:30 p.m. and I don’t have any meat thawed, I don’t generally turn to the Federal Government for help, although that might have saved my family from some unusual and unbalanced meals over the years.

I know I’m behind the times, but I still generally follow the dietary guidelines promoted by USDA from the mid- ‘50s into the 1990s. I learned about the four basic food groups in 4-H, using the slogan, “4, 4, 3, 2 — that’s the formula for me and you.” While that might have been acceptable nutritional advice at the time, the phrase annoyed countless elementary teachers who considered it grammatically impolite for children to say “me and you” rather than “you and me.”  

Since 1980, USDA and Health and Human Services have been teaming up to issue updated dietary guidelines every five years, and the agencies are currently working on the guidelines for 2020-2025. These are the guidelines that were used to develop the Food Guide Pyramid in 1992, then MyPyramid in 2005 and the MyPlate Daily Checklist in 2011. Currently, the agencies are working on updated guidelines that will be issued in 2020. This next set of guidelines will take a life stages approach, focusing on the nutritional needs of individuals from birth through older adulthood.

These days, considering the internet’s overwhelming number of self-proclaimed nutrition experts, it’s more important than ever to have the best science-based nutrition information available to consumers. However, USDA and HHS have a faced criticism in the past over their recommendations. Some critics claim USDA has been influenced by agricultural industry groups. Meanwhile, some ag industry groups have complained that the dietary recommendations promote certain agricultural products over others.

As USDA and HHS compile and review the latest research for the next set of recommendations, it will be a challenge to defend scientific research against political pressure. Unfortunately, politics has a way of warping the best science.

Maybe the new food guide should take a few hints from some of USDA’s earliest recommendations, issued in 1917. At that time, health problems caused by nutritional deficiencies were more common than the chronic diseases that are aggravated by poor diets today. Even so, understanding the functions of different foods can help people understand the value of various foods in the diet. While the 1917 food selection guide gives examples of suggested menus, it also explains why various foods are needed in the diet.

Back then, vitamins were not clearly understood, but the guide still stressed the importance of fruits and vegetables. The guide explained, “Without these the food would be lacking in mineral substances needed for building the body and keeping it in good working condition; in acids which give flavor, prevent constipation, and serve other useful purposes; and in minute quantities of other substances needed for health. By giving bulk to the diet they make it more satisfying to the appetite.”

The guide even addressed the use of fats in the diet, saying simply, “These are important sources of body fuel. Without a little of them the food would not be rich enough to taste good.”

The guide also makes it clear that the overall diet is more important than what a person eats in a single day. “If a little too much or too little of one nutrient is provided at a single meal or on a single day a healthy body does not suffer, because it has ways of storing such a surplus and of using its stored material in an emergency,” the guide reassuringly explains. Apparently, I’m not the only one who has ever served an unbalanced meal.