Dr. John McDougall's excellent article, USDA Demonizes Starch, While Promoting Meat, Dairy, and Disease, explains how USDA dietary guideline policies have significantly impacted the health of our families. Dr. McDougall's article states: "The USDA has the responsibility for overseeing food safety. But, it also has an opposing responsibility to promote agricultural businesses. Nearly 150 years after its creation, tens of thousands of small farms have been bought up and concentrated into a few large politically influential corporations, and the USDA has become the "Agribusiness Industries' Department," primarily serving the interests of giant food production and distribution corporations."
Unfortunately big industries influence government guidelines to lean towards a position of less starch in the diet which inevitably leads towards a more meat and dairy centered approach to diet. Interestingly, the rationale for reducing starch is to encourage people to eat more colorful vegetables. The reality is that the colorful vegetables are wonderfully high in nutritional density such as vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients while at the same time are low in calories. We need nutrient dense vegetables as well as the more calorie dense starches. Otherwise, as Dr. McDougall points out:
With more animal foods also comes more obesity and chronic diseases, including cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and arthritis.
Fortunately the pendulum is swinging through grass root movements towards a more plant-centered diet as being the best choice for human beings. Even some branches of our government are modifying their recommendations to include more plant-based foods. However, the lowly starch is still being minimized instead of exalted. I hope for a day soon when small farmers may once again be supported and possibly even subsidized in order for the majority of calories consumed in this country to come from widely diverse plant-based sources with plenty of healthy whole food starches.
For More Information:
(1) Dietary Guidelines: Advisory Committee Conflicts of Interest