Beans, All

As biologist-historian Jared Diamond points out, only a few varieties of plants in the world lend themselves to being farmed and the farmer had little choice but to focus his efforts on those few. This practical reality greatly reduces the variety of foods eaten. So, it was for our first planters in Kurdistan. Instead of consuming plants from the hundreds of wild, foraged species, the farmers' diet was now limited mostly to just four farmed species— wheat, barley, lentils, and beans. As the centuries rolled by, farmers gradually domesticated some fruits (such as apricot and apple) and vegetables (such as onion and leeks), but they remained a tiny part of the diet.

in 1942, the USDA issued a new food guide that reduced the number of food groups to what they called the "Basic Seven." These were: green and yellow vegetables; oranges, tomatoes, and grapefruit; potatoes and other vegetables and fruit; milk and milk products; meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and dried peas and beans; bread, flour, and cereals; and butter and fortified margarine.

With the creation of the "basic seven", several changes were made from the 12 food groups in the family food plans. "Potatoes and sweet potatoes" have been lumped in with "other vegetables and fruit." "Eggs" and "dry beans, peas, and nuts" are lumped in with "meat, poultry, and fish." The "butter" group has been expanded to "butter and fortified margarine." The word lean has been dropped from the category "lean meat." The "other fats" group and the "sugars" group have disappeared entirely.

In 1956, the "Basic Seven" groups were condensed to the "Basic Four": milk and milk products; meat, fish, poultry, eggs, dry beans, and nuts; fruits and vegetables; and grains. This time the "green and yellow vegetables" group has disappeared. "Butter and fortified margarine" has been dropped. "Oranges, tomatoes, and grapefruit" are lumped into the catch-all category "fruits and vegetables."

One USDA group, "Meat, Fish, Poultry, Dry Beans, Nuts and Eggs," seems to have been lumped together because they are, on the whole, protein-rich foods. However, not all protein-rich foods (for example, cheese) are included and some protein-poor foods (for example, chestnuts) make the list.

Our [Savanna model] modified groupings then are: Grains; Vegetables (Starchy); Vegetables (Non-Starchy); Fruits; Milk and Dairy; Meat, Fish, Eggs, and Poultry; Dry Beans; Nuts; Fats and Oils; Sugars and Sweeteners; Salt and Sodium; and Beverages.

In the USDA meat group There are significant differences among these items, so we will break down this group into three major classes. One is protein-rich foods of animal origin: "Meat, Poultry, Eggs, and Fish." The other two are protein-rich foods of plant origin: "Dry Beans and Peas (or Legumes)" and "Nuts."