New Food Pyramid

Long gone are the days of the four basic food groups ~ dairy, meat, vegetables and fruit. Today a healthy diet includes a far greater range of options: whole grains, legumes, seeds and nuts, fish and event plant oils, such as olive oil.

The original Food Guide Pyramid released in 1992, has been revised with two overall purposes:

1. To improve the effectiveness in motivating consumers to make healthier food choices,

2. To ensure that the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) food guidance system reflects the latest nutritional science.

This revision has been coordinated with the development of the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which was released in January 2005, by the USDA and the US Department of Health and Human Services.

The USDA’s new MyPyramid food guidance system symbolizes a personalized approach to healthy eating combined with physical activity. Visit the MyPyramid website to customize your food “pyramid” by entering your age, sex, and how much exercise you get daily. This will take you to a personalized guide and menu for the week. It’s actually kind of fun.