Food for Soul and Body

REMEMBER THE BASIC FOUR? Nutritional teaching since the 1950s dictated that our health depended on eating from every food group, every day. Charts illustrated with glass milk bottles, smiling fish, and shiny red apples encouraged generous portions of milk and dairy products; meat, poultry, and eggs (beans and nuts also fell in this category); bread and cereal; and fruits and vegetables.

Long overdue for an update, this quartet was revised recently--but, alas, temporarily--by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to reflect 35 years of research into heart disease, cancer, and nutrition. Three years of extensive consumer tests, review by 30 government and university experts, and revising the chart produced a new "Eating Right" pyramid, which again designated four food groups but stacked them in a fundamentally different order of priority.

Bread, pasta, cereal, and grains anchored the bottom of the pyramid, with six to 11 portions recommended per day. On the next level up were generous portions of vegetables and fruits. Third came the suggested two to three servings of dairy products, meat, eggs, and nuts. Finally, at the top with a "use sparingly" label, were fats, oils, and sweets.

But the meat and dairy industries were not happy with the new geometry. Pressure mounted on USDA Secretary Edward Madigan to prevent the pyramid from being distributed publicly. Just as it was going to press last year, Madigan called a halt to production, saying the new chart needed more study, particularly as to how it would affect children and low-income Americans. Who knows if we will ever see it again.

Granted, the USDA has the unfortunate mandate to promote as well as police agricultural products. But such extreme sensitivity to the meat and dairy lobbies does a serious disservice to the American public.

We are left to rely on our own gleanings from nutritional studies, and our own conclusions regarding protein, fat, cholesterol, and so forth. One thing has become clear even without USDA sanction: We need to eat much more sparingly from the meat and dairy categories, not only for our own health, but for the good of the Earth and the sake of countries whose agricultural land is often used for U.S. beef rather than food for their own people.

Creamy Broccoli Trio

Bulgar:
· 2 cups bulgar, uncooked
· 4 cups water
· dash of salt

Broccoli:
· 2 lbs. fresh broccoli (or equivalent frozen)

Sauce:
· 2 cups grated cheddar cheese
· 2 cups milk, warmed slightly
· 3 T margarine
· 4 T flour
· 1 tsp. onion powder
· 1/4 tsp. salt
· dash of white pepper
· dash of cayenne pepper

Boil 4 cups water, stir in bulgar and salt, cover tightly, and steam as for rice (20-30 minutes). Meanwhile, wash and chop broccoli into attractive three-inch pieces and steam 15-20 minutes, or cook as directed if frozen.

While the broccoli is steaming, make the cheese sauce: Melt margarine in a skillet. Stir in flour and cook briefly. Add warm milk a little at a time, stirring out lumps. Sprinkle in the grated cheese and spices. Whisk until smooth, bring just to a boil, and let it thicken. Add more milk if the sauce seems too stiff.

Fill a serving dish half full with the hot bulgar. Arrange the broccoli on top. Pour on a generous amount of cheese sauce and serve immediately. Round out the meal with bright red apples or something else colorful to compliment the green of the broccoli and the rich brown of the bulgar.

This serves four generously. Preparation time is 30-45 minutes.

(This recipe is adapted from a dish served at Holden Village retreat center, Chelan, Washington.)

Carey Burkett was assistant to the editor of Sojourners when this article appeared.