A healthy eating food pyramid is a graphic that represents a healthy diet. Eat according to healthy food pyramid recommendations and you should reach nutrient goals and optimize long term health. Food groups are placed on various spots of the pyramid to give healthier food groups more prominence than less healthy food groups. Several food pyramids exist today including those for special diets and specific populations.
History
First introduced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 1992, the Food Guide Pyramid replaced the basic four food groups to help Americans envision a healthy diet. This first food pyramid was created to represent the total diet and reflect current research about a healthy diet. Fruits and vegetables were given their own groups and, along with grains, were made more prominent. In 2005, a new food pyramid, called My Pyramid, was released. The next version will likely be released in 2010 with the next update of the dietary guidelines for Americans.
Features
Each food pyramid uses unique food groupings but most give the same basic advice. Base your diet on whole grains, vegetables and fruit; choose protein and dairy foods often; minimize saturated and trans fats and sweets.
Some pyramids are very clear about which protein sources are the best. For example, The Mediterranean Diet Pyramid and some others place meat at the very tip of the pyramid and instead highlight beans, legumes, nuts, poultry and fish.
Although most pyramids recommend whole grains over refined grains, the Healthy Eating Pyramid from the Harvard School of Public Health goes further and places refined grains at the tip along with red meat, butter and sweets. Lastly, most food pyramids now include some mention of physical activity.
Types
The original idea of a food pyramid must have been a good one. Since the first USDA Food Guide Pyramid, many organizations have adopted the food pyramid idea. There is the Healthy Eating Pyramid from the Harvard School of Public Health, Healthy Weight Pyramid from the Mayo Clinic, the Diabetes Food Pyramid, the Food Pyramid for People over age 70, as well as food pyramids for vegetarian, Asian, Latin American, and Mediterranean diets. The USDA even has specific My Pyramids for kids and for pregnant or breastfeeding women.
Misconceptions
Even though food pyramids offer guidelines on how much to eat from each food group in a day, don't worry too much about hitting those targets each day. Dietary recommendations are goals to meet over several days. Also, food pyramids aren't meant to cover everyone's diet. Each food pyramid represents one diet pattern.
While the USDA My Pyramid includes all foods common in the American diet, you may want to choose a pyramid more suited to your own food preferences. For instance, you may find it easiest to adhere to the vegetarian food pyramid or an ethnic food pyramid.
Warning
One of the biggest problems facing any food guide pyramid is that of serving size. Even with detailed information about the number of servings and the size of a serving, it is still difficult for an individual to know whether the plate of pasta with tomato sauce they just ate was equal to one, two, three or more servings of grains or vegetables.. This is a particularly important issue if you are trying to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight. Read the serving size information carefully and weigh and measure food items if necessary.
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