Food Guide Pyramid

In 2005 the USDA unveiled MyPyramid, a new symbol and interactive food guidance system. “Steps to a Healthier You,” MyPyramid’s central message, supports President Bush’s HealthierUS initiative which is designed to help Americans live longer, better and healthier lives. MyPyramid, which replaces the Food Guide Pyramid introduced in 1992, is part of an overall food guidance system that emphasizes the need for a more individualized approach to improving diet and lifestyle.

MyPyramid was developed to carry the messages of the dietary guidelines and to make Americans aware of the vital health benefits of simple and modest improvements in nutrition, physical activity and life style behavior.

The MyPyramid symbol, which is deliberately simple, is meant to encourage consumers to make healthier food choices and to be active every day. Consumers can get more in-depth information from the new Web site, MyPyramid.gov, so that they can make these choices to fit their own needs.

The MyPyramid symbol represents the recommended proportion of foods from each food group and focuses on the importance of making smart food choices in every food group, every day. Physical activity is a new element in the symbol.

MyPyramid illustrates:

• Personalization, demonstrated by the MyPyramid Web site. To find a personalized recommendation of the kinds and amounts of food to eat each day, go to MyPyramid.gov.
  
  
• Gradual improvement, encouraged by the slogan, “Steps to a Healthier You.” It suggests that individuals can benefit from taking small steps to improve their
  diet and lifestyle each day.
  
  
• Physical activity, represented by the steps and the person climbing them, as a
  reminder of the importance of daily physical activity.
  
  
• Variety, symbolized by the six color bands representing the five food groups of MyPyramid and oils. Food from all groups are needed each day for good health.
  
  
• Moderation, represented by the narrowing of each food group from bottom to top. The wider base stands for foods with little or no solid fats, added sugars, or caloric sweeteners. These should be selected more often to get the most nutrition from calories consumed.
  
  
• Proportionality, shown by the different widths of the food group bands. The widths suggest how much food a person should choose from each group. The widths are just a general guide, not exact proportions. Check MyPyramid.gov for the amount that is right for you.

MyPyramid Menu Planner

Earlier this year the USDA released the MyPyramid Menu Planner, a new state-of-the-art, on-line nutrition guidance tool to help individuals and homemakers plan healthier menus based on the recommendations of the MyPyramid food guidance system and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

According to Dr. Brian Wansink, Executive Director of the USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion (CNPP), the new My Pyramid Menu Planner is the latest in a series of on-line nutrition tools developed by CNPP. The Planner is provided free of charge to the public and can help motivate consumers to make healthier choices. According to Wansink, “It has three benefits. Based on the information you provide, it interactively shows whether your diet is balanced and allows you to track it. It gives you an easy way to know whether you are losing or gaining weight based on what you plan to eat. And it helps you plan upcoming meals.”

To use the Planner go to www.MyPyramid.gov and click on the MyPyramid Menu Planner link.

The Menu Planner will be useful to not only those interested in healthful and nutritious diets, but also high school and middle school classes, and dietitians, health professionals, and nutrition educators for use in counseling and educational programming.

After a person enters his or her age, sex, height, weight and physical activity level, they can begin entering food items and amounts they might consume each day. The screen displays visual feedback as each item is added. From this, various reports can be seen and printed which include a daily, weekly, or family menu, a breakdown by food item, and goal setting worksheets.

Source: www.MyPyramid.gov

> Return to Newsletter