Seeing as though many Americans rarely heeded the recommendations of the 1992 food pyramid, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) thought it was time for a change. Thus, after much anticipation and with no further adieu, the USDA finally revealed its new food pyramid.
Like its forerunner, the revised pyramid and its Web site, www.mypyramid.gov, are based on the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. However, unlike the previous pyramid -- which was criticized for being too broad and too vague in its recommendations -- the new pyramid is a series of vertical colored stripes of varying widths. The wider base of each stripe represents wholesome, healthier foods with little or no solid fats, added sugar or caloric sweeteners, while the narrow top is the higher-calorie foods.
And it's divided into six colored stripes that represent the different food categories:
In addition, the left side of the graphic is flanked by a person walking up stairs, symbolizing exercise. The revised pyramid also comes in 12 versions, depending on a person's activity level and caloric needs -- enter MyPyramid.
The MyPyramid Web site was designed to help consumers personalize the guidelines of the pyramid. After providing their age, gender and level of daily exercise, consumers will receive guidelines on how many calories they should consume and how much they should eat from each food category.
But Will the New Pyramid Pay Off?
The confusing design of the graphic certainly dodges the question about which foods are best for consumers to eat and, according to a spokesperson for the Center for Science in the Public Interest, doesn't do anything to warn people about the dangers of eating sugary, processed foods and drinks either.
Also, a nutritionist from Penn State University said a graphic that contains no specific information is certainly not very helpful; a critic from the Harvard School of Public Health (and a member of the dietary guidelines advisory committee), voiced his skepticism that the graphic will produce many healthy people except for perhaps some highly motivated ones.
Chicago Sun-Times April 20, 2005
USA Today April 20, 2005
New York Times April 20, 2005 (Registration Required)
To the good, the USDA realized previous "pyramids" forced people from all walks of life to fit into a very narrow, one-size-fits-all nutritional plan, no matter how unhealthy it might be for them (although one could argue the automated advice box on their new site does just that). But, in the long run, will it truly help consumers improve their eating habits? It's really not much of an improvement from the previous model, and I have a lot of experts who agree with me on this one.
An interesting side note about conflict of interest: Porter Novelli, the advertising firm that was hired to create the site for the USDA, also represents clients in the processed food industry. Just another sign that the food pyramid is plagued by conflicts of interest that prevent them from getting to the heart of the obesity epidemic that hurt this country. So let me make it simple for everyone to understand ...
Everyone has a unique body type and the only way to find out what you should be eating is by determining your metabolic type.
And, just as important to your continued optimal health is following an exercise program. I encourage patients to gradually increase the amount of time they are exercising to 60-90 minutes per session. Initially, the frequency is daily. This is a treatment dose until they normalize their weight or insulin levels. Once normalized, they will only need to exercise three to four times a week.
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