Stop The War on Vegetables
Decision by Congress to call pizza a vegetable satisfies industry but angers health advocates
By David Kidd of The Skanner News
November 21, 2011
Cartoon by Jen Sorensen of http://www.slowpokecomics.com
Knucklehead congressmen think Pizza is a vegetable! They say the tomato paste in pizza sauce makes it qualify as a vegetable-serving in schools under federal nutrition guidelines. Minnesota's U.S. senators and six of its eight representatives voted to block the USDA from stopping pizza being a vegetable. The conservatives protected the pizza-vegetable in an agriculture bill in the budget passed last week, and added that they think the federal government shouldn't be telling children what to eat.
Nutrition advocates had sought the change because childhood obesity has become a public health crisis. And if the U.S. Department of Agriculture had prevailed, school cafeterias would have had a difficult time serving pizza without spending more on another vegetable to serve with it. MyPlate
MyPlate, the new nutrition guide published by the USDA, depicts a plate divided into food groups. It replaced the old Food Pyramid in June and will be used in nutrition education. In unveiling it First Lady Michelle Obama said, "Parents don't have the time to measure out exactly three ounces of chicken or to look up how much rice or broccoli is in a serving ... But we do have time to take a look at our kids' plates. ... And as long as they're eating proper portions, as long as half of their meal is fruits and vegetables alongside their lean proteins, whole grains and low-fat dairy, then we're good. It's as simple as that."
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