Food Propaganda

Food Propaganda by Design Graphic Design can be a powerful means of communicating. Through infographics, graphic design presents what is deemed the most important information on a particular subject and visually represents that data in a user-friendly manner. The United States Government has implored the use of graphic design on many occasions and in many instances. One of those instances includes the many rounds of food pyramids created to inform the public of how to eat healthy by presenting an infographic that indicates proportions in hopes to lead people to live healthier lifestyles. The food pyramid lacks in many ways, but perhaps the best way to indicate that this design concept is flawed is the fact that obesity, autoimmune disease,
While the MyPyramid design lacked in spatial orientation, MyPlate does not. It is a very simple design in the shape of a plate instead of a pyramid. This is the first design to actually present proportions in an easy to understand way, but lacks in that it does not contain enough information. Where are the fats, oils, and sweets? This design implies that fats, oils, and sweets are to never be consumed. It is almost impossible for an American to go without eating something that contains one of those ingredients. It is unrealistic to imply that this group should not be consumed, and it should be accurately displayed within the inforgraphic with a disclaimer stating to be used in moderation. By not including fats, oils, and sweets, the average person looking at this infographic for the first time will not be able to discern whether that food group is healthy or not. The reality is that all human beings need fats in their diet for proper bodily functions. There are healthy fats, and people do need them on a daily basis, but in moderation. None of the dietary guideline infographics created have ever included healthy fats, which are responsible for helping build “… the outer membrane of cells, and it is a principal ingredient in the digestive juice bile, in the fatty sheath that insulates nerves, and in sex hormones such as estrogen and androgen” (Sanfilippo, 2012). The
“Anything that has been popped, puffed, flaked, floured, shredded, or made into an instant form has been refined” (Sanfilippo, 2012). The dietary recommendations state that people should increase their intake of “whole” grains, and visually represented grains to be of more importance than any other food group. “Whole” grains are just a fancier term for “refined” grains. “Whole” and “refined” can still be bleached and bound with extra “fillers” to increase the fluff of the final product. There is no evidence to support that the human body needs six to eleven servings of grains per day to properly function. One thing the body does need full fat dairy, in moderation. MyPlate separates the dairy group completely from the actual plate in the design. This hierarchically implies that milk and dairy is not that important. Dairy is an excellent source of calcium and vitamins A, D, and K2, that is until it is skimmed and processed leaving 1% milk with little nutritional value. Milk and dairy product have to be fortified with vitamins after being processed “To prevent nutrient deficiencies across populations- deficiencies that began to appear in the Western world when processed foods were introduced” (Sanfilippo,