

Six swaths of color swept from the apex of MyPyramid to the base: orange for grains, green for vegetables, red for fruits, a teeny band of yellow for oils, blue for milk, and purple for meat and beans. MyPyramid, unveiled in 2005, was essentially the Food Guide Pyramid turned on its side, without any explanatory text. It grouped healthy proteins (fish, poultry, beans, and nuts) into the same category as unhealthy proteins (red meat and processed meat), and overemphasized the importance of dairy products.

With fat relegated to the “use sparingly” tip, it ignored the health benefits of plant oils-and instead pointed Americans to the type of low-fat diet that can worsen blood cholesterol profiles and make it harder to keep weight in check. With an overstuffed breadbasket as its base, the Food Guide Pyramid failed to show that whole wheat, brown rice, and other whole grains are healthier than refined grains. And MyPyramid, its 2005 replacement, was vague and confusing. The problem with the US government’s original Food Guide Pyramid, released in 1992, was that it conveyed the wrong dietary advice. The layers represent major food groups that contribute to the total diet. The shape immediately suggests that some foods are good and should be eaten often, and that others aren’t so good and should be eaten only occasionally. Translating nutrition advice into a colorful pyramid is great way to illustrate what foods make up a healthy diet. The Healthy Eating Pyramid and the Healthy Eating Plate will change to reflect important new evidence.Ī look back: Problems with the Food Guide Pyramid and MyPyramid They aren’t set in stone, though, because nutrition researchers will undoubtedly turn up new information in the years ahead. The Healthy Eating Plate and the companion Healthy Eating Pyramid summarize the best dietary information available today.The Healthy Eating Pyramid also addresses other aspects of a healthy lifestyle- exercise, weight control, vitamin D, and multivitamin supplements, and moderation in alcohol for people who drink-so it’s a useful tool for health professionals and health educators.Vegetables, fruits, whole grains, healthy oils, and healthy proteins like nuts, beans, fish, and chicken should make it into the shopping cart every week, along with a little yogurt or other dairy foods if desired.In fact, the Healthy Eating Pyramid and the Healthy Eating Plate (as well as the Kid’s Healthy Eating Plate) complement each other.Ĭonsumers can think of the Healthy Eating Pyramid as a grocery list: Generations of Americans are accustomed to the food pyramid design, and it’s not going away.
