Why the food pyramid is shaped that way

You know what's on the back of the dollar, right? The pyramid. There's an interesting article in the New York Times (reg reg'd) about the rejiggering of the USDA Food Pyramid. Seems it's being done by a PR firm with a large number of major food company clients (past and present) — including McDonald's and Campbell's Soup. Hmmm, isn't that interesting? And Campbell's Soup thinks processed foods should be given better standing. McDonald's is "a healthy part of your daily diet" or whatever. Sure. The Food Pyramid isn't a nutritional guideline. It's a marketing tool. The thing is, this is nothing new. Lobby groups and big food companies have been involved in USDA nutrition guidelines for centuries. I once worked on a project for Mrs Baird's Bread promoting the Food Pyramid because, yup, it included a big loaf of bread servings... Our kids are being taught this crap. If you want some food for thought, I suggest this article about Walter Willet, the Harvard nutritionist. Or this article talking about Michael Pollan's writing about the link between America's obesity epidemic and the cheap prices of corn in the last decade or so. (This was first addressed in an NYT magazine, but it's paid-only access now, so I give you this tidbit instead.) It's enough to make you lose your appetite.