DOA foolishness

I'm not a big fan of the Atkins diet. The science behind it (coverting protein to energy via ketosis) had been known for decades, so it was nothing new. It seems kind of nasty to me (though I will defend anyone's right to eat copious amounts of meat)and a little excessive.

But there is a delightful anti-government aspect to it.

The "food pyramid" was a ridiculous exercise of the Department of Agriculture, and the nutritional needs of the nation were subverted to their desire to pay off their various lobbies. Thus, grains (wheat lobby) were over-emphasized, and most notoriously, potato and corn were declared vegetables (they're starches). Good oils like olive oil and meats like fish (in which the DOA had little interest) got short-changed.

The funny aspect was that people tried the Atkins, defying government advice. They were doing everything wrong, according to the pyramid.

But they were right: they lost weight and lowered their cholesterol.

The idea got out: government doesn't know what its talking about.

The DOA still hasn't learned: USDA gives batter-coated fries a fresh category:

Batter-coated french fries are a fresh vegetable, according to the Agriculture Department, which has a federal judge's ruling to back it up.

Sure, they cover themselves, but it still shows the DOA for what it is: a tangle of bureaucratic foolishness with decadent dollop of corruption.
- posted by total @ 6/16/2004 05:17:00 AM .