The Food Pyramid Exposed: Here's What No One Is Telling You!

The Model Health Show

Shawn Stevenson

Fitness, Health & Fitness, Nutrition

4.8 • 7.3K Ratings

🗓️ 28 January 2026

⏱️ 70 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

This year, the USDA released a new set of Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The redesigned food pyramid maintains some long-standing recommendations but also introduces a shift away from processed food and toward high protein and healthy fats. These new guidelines have stirred up a lot of controversy, but today, we’re going to break it down in a commonsense way. On this episode of The Model Health Show, we’re diving into the history and science of government dietary guidelines. You’ll learn about prior versions of USDA nutritional recommendations and how these policies impact food access for Americans. We’ll also talk about the pros and cons of the guidelines throughout history, as well as today. You’re also going to hear about specific studies that outline the importance of proper nutrition for human health, including the truth about dietary fat, how calorie counting actually works, and the impact of high protein diets on weight and metabolism. Most importantly, we’re going to talk about taking control of your and your family’s health. I hope you enjoy this episode of The Model Health Show! In this episode you’ll discover: What The Farmers’ Bulletin was and its purpose. (0:44) How different macronutrients translate to calorie counts. (4:31) Common misconceptions about calorie estimates. (5:15) How the human body processes ultra processed calories. (6:31) The history of the food pyramid. (13:46) Pros and cons of MyPyramid. (22:55) How obesity rates in the United States have changed in recent decades. (27:12) New additions to the USDA’s dietary recommendations. (28:12) The truth about saturated fat. (32:48) What percentage of the average American’s diet is ultra processed foods. (42:21) How the thermic effect of food works. (47:55) The health benefits of a higher protein diet. (48:55) Why USDA guidelines have an enormous impact on food access. (56:24) Who has the ultimate authority over your diet and health. (1:06:03) Items mentioned in this episode include: Beekeepersnaturals.com/model - Save up to 30% on natural remedies! Eat Smarter - Read my national bestselling book for more nutrition tips! Be sure you are subscribed to this podcast to automatically receive your episodes:  Apple Podcasts Spotify Soundcloud Pandora YouTube This episode of The Model Health Show is brought to you by Beekeeper’s Naturals. Reinvent your medicine cabinet for with clean, effective products powered by the beehive & backed by science. Claim up to a 30% discount at beekeepersnaturals.com/model.

Transcript

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0:00.0	You are now listening to The Model Health Show with Sean Stevenson. For more, visit themodelhealthshow.com.
0:10.0	Welcome to the model health show. This is fitness and nutrition expert, Sean Stevenson. And I'm so grateful for you tuning in with me today.
0:16.8	The U.S. nutrition guidelines have undergone some changes. And I think you're going to be surprised at how we actually got here.
0:23.4	When I was in college in the late 1990s, my nutritional science class was built on the principles of the food pyramid.
0:30.4	That education and that perspective of food helped to shape a generation.
0:35.4	Now we've all been told what to eat, but very few people actually
0:40.3	know where those ideas come from. To find out, we have to go all the way back in time to the very
0:47.3	first published dietary guidance by the USDA. It was called the Farmers Bulletin written in 1894 by American chemist and one of the
0:57.1	directors at the USDA, a man named Wilbur Atwater. Atwater suggested diets for Americans
1:03.4	based on content of protein, carbohydrates, fat, and mineral matter, also known as ash at the time.
1:13.3	Now keep in mind, vitamins in food had yet to be discovered.
1:18.6	And so his proposal was to focus on proteins, fats, carbohydrates, and being ashy.
1:26.6	Atwater initiated the scientific basis for connecting what's in
1:30.1	different foods, how much of each food to eat, and how it affects our health, and emphasizing the
1:37.7	importance of variety, proportionality, and moderation and healthful eating.
1:52.4	He stated, quote, unless care is exercised in selecting food, a diet may result which is one-sided or badly balanced, that is one in which either protein or fuel ingredients, carbohydrate,
1:58.5	and fat, are provided in excess.
2:02.1	The evils of overeating may not be felt at once, but sooner or later they are sure to appear.
2:09.1	Perhaps in an excessive amount of fatty tissue.
2:12.3	Perhaps in general debility, perhaps in actual disease.
2:17.9	And Wilbur Atwater shared this sentiment in 1902.
2:22.4	And it's truly profound.
	...

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