Building a Better Food Pyramid

Building a Better Food Pyramid

If the only goal of MyPyramid is to give us the best possible advice for healthy eating, then it should be grounded in the evidence and be independent of business.

Instead of waiting for this to happen, nutrition experts from the Harvard School of Public Health created the Healthy Eating Food Pyramid, and updated it in 2008. The Healthy Eating Pyramid is based on the best available scientific evidence about the links between diet and health. This new pyramid fixes fundamental flaws in the USDA pyramid and offers sound information to help people make better choices about what to eat.

Healthy Eating Pyramid

The Healthy Eating Pyramid sits on a foundation of daily exercise and weight control. Why? These two related elements strongly influence your chances of staying healthy. They also affect what you eat and how your food affects you.

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Exercise and weight control are also linked through the simple rule of energy balance: Weight change = calories in – calories out. If you burn as many calories as you take in each day, there's nothing left over for storage in fat cells, and weight remains the same. Eat more than you burn, though, and you end up adding fat and pounds.

Regular exercise can help you control your weight, and it is key part of any weight-loss effort.

The other bricks of the Healthy Eating Food Pyramid include the following:

Whole Grains

Carbohydrates: Good Carbs Guide the Way The body needs carbohydrates mainly for energy. The best sources of carbohydrates are whole grains such as oatmeal, whole wheat bread, and brown rice. They deliver the outer (bran) and inner (germ) layers along with energy-rich starch. The body can't digest whole grains as quickly as it can highly processed carbohydrates such as white flour. This keeps blood sugar and insulin levels from rising, then falling, too quickly. Better control of blood sugar and insulin can keep hunger at bay and may prevent the development of type 2 diabetes. Plus, a growing body of research suggests that eating a diet rich in whole grains may also protect against heart disease.

Healthy Fats and Oils

Fats and Cholesterol: Out With The Bad, In With The Good Surprised that the Healthy Eating Food Pyramid puts some fats near the base, indicating they are okay to eat? Although this recommendation seems to go against conventional wisdom, it's exactly in line with the evidence and with common eating habits. The average American gets one-third or more of his or her daily calories from fats, so placing them near the foundation of the pyramid makes sense. Note, though, that it specifically mentions healthy fats and oils, not all types of fat. Good sources of healthy unsaturated fats include olive, canola, soy, corn, sunflower, peanut, and other vegetable oils, trans fat-free margarines, nuts, seeds, avocadoes, and fatty fish such as salmon. These healthy fats not only improve cholesterol levels (when eaten in place of highly processed carbohydrates) but can also protect the heart from sudden and potentially deadly rhythm problems.

Vegetables and Fruits

Vegetables and Fruits: Get Plenty Every DayA diet rich in vegetables and fruits has bountiful benefits. Among them: It can decrease the chances of having a heart attack or stroke; possibly protect against some types of cancers; lower blood pressure; help you avoid the painful intestinal ailment called diverticulitis; guard against cataract and macular degeneration, the major causes of vision loss among people over age 65; and add variety to your diet and wake up your palate.

Nuts, Seeds, Beans, and Tofu

These plant foods are excellent sources of protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Beans include black beans, navy beans, garbanzos, lentils, and other beans that are usually sold dried. Many kinds of nuts contain healthy fats, and packages of some varieties (almonds, walnuts, pecans, peanuts, hazelnuts, and pistachios) can now even carry a label saying they're good for your heart.

Fish, Poultry, and Eggs

Protein: Moving Closer to Center Stage These foods are also important sources of protein. A wealth of research suggests that eating fish can reduce the risk of heart disease, since fish is rich
in heart-healthy omega-3 fats. Chicken and turkey are also good sources of protein and can be low in saturated fat. Eggs, which have long been demonized because they contain fairly high levels of cholesterol, aren't as bad as they've been cracked up to be. In fact, an egg is a much better breakfast than a doughnut cooked in an oil rich in trans fats or a bagel made from refined flour. People with diabetes or heart disease, however, should limit their egg yolk consumption to no more than 3 a week. But egg whites are very high in protein and are a fine substitute for whole eggs in omelets and baking.

Dairy (1 to 2 Servings Per Day) or Vitamin D/Calcium Supplements

Calcium and Milk: What's Best for Your Bones? Building bone and keeping it strong takes calcium, vitamin D, exercise, and a whole lot more. Dairy products have traditionally been Americans' main source of calcium and, through fortification, vitamin D. But most people need at least 1,000 IU of vitamin D per day, far more than the 100 IU supplied by a glass of fortified milk. And there are other healthier ways to get calcium than from milk and cheese, which can contain a lot of saturated fat. Three glasses of whole milk, for example, contains as much saturated fat as 13 strips of cooked bacon. If you enjoy dairy foods, try to stick mainly with no-fat or low-fat products. If you don't like dairy products, taking a vitamin D and calcium supplement offers an easy and inexpensive way to meet your daily vitamin D and calcium needs.

Use Sparingly: Red Meat and Butter

These sit at the top of the Healthy Eating Pyramid because they contain lots of saturated fat. Eating a lot of red meat may also increase your risk of colon cancer. If you eat red meat every day, switching to fish , chicken, or beans several times a week can improve cholesterol levels. So can switching from butter to olive oil. And eating fish has other benefits for the heart.

Use Sparingly: Refined Grains—White Bread, Rice, and Pasta; Potatoes; Sugary Drinks and Sweets; Salt

Why are these all-American staples at the top, rather than the bottom, of the Healthy Eating Food Pyramid?

White bread, white rice, white pasta, other refined grains, potatoes, sugary drinks, and sweets can cause fast and furious increases in blood sugar that can lead to weight gain, diabetes, heart disease, and other chronic disorders. Whole grain carbohydrates cause slower, steadier increases in blood sugar that don't overwhelm the body's ability to handle carbohydrate. The salt shaker is a new addition to the "Use Sparingly" tip of the Healthy Eating Food Pyramid, one that's based on extensive research linking high-sodium diets to increased risk ofheart attack and stroke.

Multivitamin with Extra Vitamin D

Vitamins A daily multivitamin, multimineral supplement offers a kind of nutritional backup, especially when it includes some extra vitamin D. While a multivitamin can't in any way replace healthy eating, or make up for unhealthy eating, it can fill in the nutrient holes that may sometimes affect even the most careful eaters. You don't need an expensive name-brand or designer vitamin. A standard, store-brand, RDA-level one is fine for most nutrients—except vitamin D. In addition to its bone-health benefits, there's growing evidence that getting some extra vitamin D can help lower the risk of colon and breast cancer. Aim for getting at least 1,000 IU of vitamin D per day; multiple vitamins are now available with this amount.
(Many people, especially those who spend the winter in the northern U.S. or have darker skin, will need extra vitamin D, often a total of 3,000 to 4,000 IU per day, to bring their blood levels up to an adequate range. If you are unsure, ask your physician to check your blood level.)

Look for a multivitamin that meets the requirements of the USP (U.S. Pharmacopeia), an organization that sets standards for drugs and supplements.

Optional: Alcohol in Moderation (Not for Everyone)

Alcohol: Balancing Risks and Benefits Scores of studies suggest that having an alcoholic drink a day lowers the risk of heart disease. Moderation is clearly important, since alcohol has risks as well as benefits. For men, a good balance point is one to two drinks a day; in general, however, the risks of drinking, even in moderation, exceed benefits until middle age. For women, it's at most one drink a day; women should avoid alcohol during pregnancy.

Forget about Numbers and Focus on Quality

Healthy dish You'll notice that the Healthy Eating Food Pyramid does not give specific advice about the numbers of cups or ounces to have each day of specific foods. That's because it's not meant to be a rigid road map, and the amounts can vary depending on your body size and physical activity. It's a simple, general, flexible guide to how you should eat when you eat.

There's just one basic guideline to remember: A healthy diet includes more foods from the base of the pyramid than from the higher levels of the pyramid. Within this guideline, however,
there's plenty of flexibility for different styles of eating and different food choices. A vegetarian can follow the Healthy Eating Food Pyramid by emphasizing nuts, beans, and other plant sources of protein, and choosing non-dairy sources of calcium and vitamin D; someone who eats animal products can choose fish or chicken for protein, with occasional red meat.

Choosing a variety of fresh, whole foods from all the food groups below the "Use Sparingly" category in the Healthy Eating Food Pyramid will ensure that you get the nutrients you need. It will also dramatically lower your salt intake, since most of the salt in the U.S. diet lurks in processed food—canned soups, frozen dinners, deli meats, snack chips, and the like.

Perhaps the only foods that are truly off-limits are foods that contain trans fat from partially hydrogenated oils. Luckily, in the U.S. and Canada, trans fats must be listed on nutrition labels. More and more food manufacturers, restaurants, and even entire communities are going trans fat-free, making it easier to avoid this health-damaging type of fat.
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The USDA Food Pyramid

The USDA Food Pyramid

Distilling nutrition advice into a pyramid was a stroke of genius. 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. The layers represent major food groups that contribute to the total diet. MyPyramid tries to do this in an abstract way, and fails.

MyPyramid . Six swaths of color sweep from the apex of Food Pyramid 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. Each stripe starts out as the same size, but they don't end that way at the base. The widths suggest how much food a person should choose from each group. A band of stairs running up the side of the Pyramid, with a little stick figure chugging up it, serves as a reminder of the importance of physical activity.

MyPyramid contains no text. According to the USDA, it was "designed to be simple," and details are at MyPyramid.gov. Unless you've taken the time to become familiar with the Food Pyramid, though, you have no idea what it means. Relying on the Web site to provide key information—like what the color stripes stand for and what the best choices are in each food group—guarantees that the millions of Americans without access to a computer or the Internet will have trouble getting these essential facts.

The USDA also chose not to put recommended numbers of servings on the new Food Pyramid because these differ from individual to individual according to weight, gender, activity level and age.
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Controversy of the Food Pyramid

Controversy of the Food Pyramid

This 1992 food pyramid diagram can still be found on much of the food packaging in the United States

To many nutritional experts (eg Walter Willett), the 1992 food pyramid did not reflect the latest research on dietetics.Certain dietary choices that have been linked to heart disease, such as three cups of whole milk and an 8 oz. serving of hamburger daily, were technically permitted under the food pyramid.
The major points of criticism have been the food pyramid's lack of differentiation within the protein-rich group ("Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans, Eggs, and Nuts"), some lack of clarity with regard to recommended serving sizes and the pyramid's lack of emphasis on whole grains. Some of the recommended quantities for the different types of food in the old food pyramid have also come under criticism for lack of clarity. For instance, the pyramid recommends two to three servings from the protein-rich group, but this is intended to be a maximum. The food pyramid recommends two to four fruit servings, but this is intended to be the minimum. Another problem is that the food pyramid does not distinguish between whole grains and refined grains. Since some vegetarian diets tend to be based on refined grains, it can skew perceptions significantly.

The Harvard School of Public Health proposes the Healthy eating food pyramid, which includes calcium and multi-vitamin supplements as well as moderate amounts of alcohol, as an alternative to the Food Guide Pyramid.

Vegan version of the nutritional food pyramid.

Many observers believe that the Harvard pyramid follows the results of nutrition studies published in peer reviewed scientific journals more closely. Some claim that the USDA was and is unduly influenced by political pressure exerted by food production associations.
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Food Groups according to the Food Pyramid

Food Groups according to the Food Pyramid

Grain

The Grain Group is represented by a thick Orange strip. Bread, cereal, rice, and pasta are grown from cereal crops. Cereals, breads, pastas, crackers, and rice all fall under this categorization. Grains supply food energy in the form of starch, and are also a source of protein. Whole grains contain dietary fiber, essential fatty acids, and other important nutrients. Milled grains, though more palatable, have many nutrients removed in the milling process and thus are not as highly recommended as whole grains. Whole grains can be found especially in oatmeal, brown rice, grits, corn tortillas and whole wheat bread. 6-11 servings of grain products are recommended per day. Starch is the most valuable polysaccharide. The starch molecule is tree-like, with branches of varying length. Starch digestion begins in the mouth with salivary amylase, continuing in the small intestine with pancreatic amylase.

Short chains of glucoses are referred to as alpha-dextrin, maltotriose (3GL), and maltose (2GL). Glucoamylase breaks these short chains down.

Vegetable

A vegetable is a part of a plant consumed by humans that is generally savory (not sweet) and not considered a grain, fruit, nut, spice, or herb. For example, the stem, root, flower, etc. may be eaten as vegetables. Vegetables contain many vitamins and minerals; however, different vegetables contain different spreads, so it is important to eat a wide variety of types. For example, green vegetables typically contain vitamin A, dark orange and dark green vegetables contain vitamin C,and vegetables like broccoli and related plants contain iron and calcium. Vegetables are very low in fats and calories, but cooking can often add these. The dark green vegetables and the orange color is caused by the vitamins and vegetables like carrots contain lots of vitamin A which helps eye health.3-5 servings of vegetables in a day. They may be fresh, frozen, canned, or juiced.

Fruit

In terms of food (rather than botany), fruits are the sweet-tasting seed-bearing parts of plants, or occasionally sweet parts of plants which do not bear seeds.
These include apples, oranges, plums, bananas, etc. Fruits are low in calories and fat and are a source of natural sugars, fiber and vitamins. Processing fruits when canning or making into juices unfortunately may add sugars and remove nutrients. Therefore, fresh fruit or canned fruit packed in juice rather than syrup is recommended. The fruit food group is sometimes combined with the vegetable food group. It is best to consume 2-4 servings of fruit in a day. They may be fresh, frozen, canned, dried, pureed or juiced.

Note that many foods considered fruits in botany because they bear seeds are not considered fruits in cuisine because they lack the characteristic sweet taste, e.g., tomato or gourds.

Oil

The oil group is represented by a thin yellow strip between the Dairy and Fruits Groups. Oils include cooking oils, fats and sweets, along with some good fats found in items like peanut butter and fish. As the group is represented by a thin strip, it implies that you should eat less of this group. Actually, the MyPyramid does not consider Oils a food group.

Dairy

The Dairy group is represented by a medium-thick blue strip between the Oil and Meat groups. Dairy products are produced from the milk of mammals, most usually but not exclusively cattle. They include milk, yogurt and cheese. Milk and its derivative products are a rich source of the mineral calcium, but also provide protein, phosphorus, vitamin A, and vitamin D. However, many dairy products are high in saturated fat and cholesterol compared to vegetables, fruits and whole grains, which is why skimmed products are available as an alternative. For adults, 3 cups of dairy products are recommended per day. Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans, Eggs, and Nuts

Meat is the tissue - usually muscle - of an animal consumed by humans. Since most parts of many animals are edible, there are a vast variety of meats. Meat is a major source of protein, as well as iron, zinc, and vitamin B12. Meats, poultry, and fish include beef, chicken, pork, salmon, tuna, and shrimp, eggs, Spices and Herbs are also in this Group.
However, since many of the same nutrients found in meat can also be found in foods like eggs, dry beans, and nuts, such foods are typically placed in the same category as meats, as meat
alternatives. These include tofu, products that resemble meat or fish but are made with soy, eggs, and cheeses. The meat group is one of the major compacted food groups in the food pyramid guide .
Although meats provide energy and nutrients, they are often high in fat and cholesterol, and can be high in sodium. Simply trimming off fatty tissue can go a long way towards reducing this negative effect. However, this tactic may prove to be ineffective, so large portions of meats are not recommended; 2-3 ounces per day of meat or alternatives are recommended. This is 3-5 servings. For those who don't consume meat or animal products , meat analogues, tofu, beans, lentils, chick peas, nuts and other high-in-protein vegetables make up this food group.
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The Food Guide Pyramid Speaks-1

The Food Guide Pyramid Speaks-1

How Much Do I Need to Eat?

Everyone wants to know how much they should eat to stay healthy. It depends on your age, whether you're a girl or a boy, and how active you are. Kids who are more active burn more calories, so they need more calories. But we can give you some estimates for how much you need of each food group.

Grains

Grains are measured out in ounce equivalents. Ounce equivalents are just another way of showing a serving size. Here are ounce equivalents for common grain foods. An ounce
equivalent equals:

* 1 slice of bread
* ½ cup of cooked cereal, like oatmeal
* ½ cup of rice or pasta
* 1 cup of cold cereal

* 4- to 8-year-olds need 4–5 ounce equivalents each day.
* 9- to 13-year-old girls need 5 ounce equivalents each day.
* 9- to 13-year-old boys need 6 ounce equivalents each day.

And one last thing about grains: Try make at least half of your grain servings whole grains, such as 100% whole-wheat bread, brown rice, and oatmeal.

Vegetables

Of course, you need your vegetables, especially those dark green and orange ones. But how much is enough? Vegetable servings are measured in cups.

* 4- to 8-year-olds need 1½ cups of veggies each day.
* 9- to 13-year-old girls need 2 cups of veggies each day.
* 9- to 13-year-old boys need 2½ cups of veggies each day.

Fruits

Sweet, juicy fruit is definitely part of a healthy diet. Here's how much you need:

* 4- to 8-year-olds need 1–1½ cups of fruit each day.
* 9- to 13-year-olds need 1½ cups of fruit each day.
Milk and Other Calcium-Rich Foods

Calcium builds strong bones to last a lifetime, so you need these foods in your diet.

* 4- to 8-year-olds need 2 cups of milk (or another calcium-richfood) each day.
* 9- to 13-year-olds need 3 cups of milk (or another calcium-rich food) each day.

If you want something other than milk, you can substitute yogurt, cheese, or calcium-fortified orange juice — just to name a few.

Meats, Beans, Fish, and Nuts

These foods contain iron and lots of other important nutrients. Like grains, these foods are measured in ounce equivalents. An ounce equivalent of this group would be:

* 1 ounce of meat, poultry, or fish
* ¼ cup cooked dry beans
* 1 egg
* 1 tablespoon of peanut butter
* ½ ounce (about a small handful) of nuts or seeds

* 4- to 8-year-olds need 3–4 ounce equivalents each day.
* 9- to 13-year-olds need 5 ounce equivalents each day.

Grown-ups in your life will help you eat what you need to stay healthy. There's more good news — you don't have to become a perfect eater overnight. Just remember those stairs climbing up the side of the new food pyramid and take it one step at a time.
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The Food Guide Pyramid Speaks

The Food Guide Pyramid Speaks

Let's look at some of the other messages this food pyramid is trying to send:
Eat a variety of foods.
A balanced diet is one that includes all the food groups. In other words, have foods from every color, every day.

Eat less of some foods, and more of others.
You can see that the bands for meat and protein (purple) and oils (yellow) are skinnier than the others. That's because you need less of those kinds of foods than you do of fruits, vegetables, grains, and dairy foods.
You also can see the bands start out wider and get thinner as they approach the top. That's designed to show you that not all foods are created equal, even within a healthy food group like fruit. For instance, apple pie would be in that thin part of the fruit band because it has a lot of added sugar and fat.

Make it personal.

Through the USDA's MyPyramid website, people can get personalized recommendations about the mix of foods they need to eat and how much they should be eating.

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The Food Guide Pyramid

The Food Guide Pyramid is one way for people to understand how to eat healthy. A rainbow of colored, vertical stripes represents the five food groups plus fats and oils. Here's what the colors stand for:

* orange — grains
* green — vegetables
* red — fruits
* yellow — fats and oils
* blue — milk and dairy products
* purple — meat, beans, fish, and nuts

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) changed the pyramid in 2005 because they wanted to do a better job of telling Americans how to be healthy. The agency later released a special version for kids.

Notice the girl climbing the staircase up the side of the food pyramid?
That's a way of showing kids how important it is to exercise and be active every day. In other words, play a lot! The steps are also a way of saying that you can make changes little by little to be healthier. One step at a time, get it?
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