Climbing to the Top of the Food Pyramid

If you've seen the new food pyramid, you may wonder why it changed. After all, what was wrong with the old food pyramid? Is everything they told us about healthy nutrition no longer true?

The good news is that experts say the new food guidelines are quite similar to the old guidelines. The graphic changes in the food pyramid are more specific and clearly represent what the guidelines actually say.

Eating by the Rainbow

The changes in the new food pyramid include brightly colored vertical stripes. Each stripe represents one of six food groups:

• Grains (orange -- and the widest stripe)
• Vegetables (green)
• Fruits (red)
• Oils (yellow -- and the thinnest stripe)
• Milk -- including most foods made from milk (blue)
• Meat and beans (purple).

The food pyramid's stripes are also wider at the bottom and narrower at the top. This conveys the idea that not all foods within that group are of the same value. For instance, chicken and beef might fall within the same group. But chicken and beef have different nutritional values -- and calories.

Don't Be Confused: Give It Time

You may have visited www.mypyramid.gov to review the new food guide pyramid. Perhaps you were overwhelmed by the guidelines. Maybe you felt that making the best food choices was easier said than done.

Give it time! By making a few healthier food choices each week, you can slowly work your way closer to the top of the food pyramid. This means eating more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy, lean meat, and beans. It also means eating less refined grains, whole milk, cheese, hamburgers, and soda. Think baby steps!

The Food Pyramid: Your Take-Away Message

Along with touting the best food choices, the new food pyramid also gives the benefits of exercise -- complete with a figure running up the side over a set of steps. This figure is there to remind us that healthy eating and physical activity are inseparable -- both are necessary for optimal health, disease prevention, and weight management.

Exercise can be working out at the gym, using a pedometer to track the number of steps you walk, or incorporating physical activity throughout your day. For instance, getting off the bus two blocks before your stop, taking the stairs for a few flights, and walking to the store from the farthest parking spot in the lot all constitute exercise. Even routine chores like mopping, vacuuming, gardening, and pulling weeds are easy ways to exercise and be active.

The new food pyramid gives another new message: No single eating plan is right for all people. Not everyone needs the same amount of food. Men, women, and children have different food requirements as do people who are overweight or underweight.

To help figure out which pyramid has your name on it, go to www.mypyramidtracker.gov. At this web site, you can enter your age, weight, gender, and activity level to find out what you need to eat. You can assess your diet and exercise and track your food intake at this site.

Plates a-Plenty: Portion Control

One of the biggest criticisms of the old food pyramid was that while it suggested what to eat, it never really told us how much. And though we can't get into too much trouble in categories like fruits and vegetables, many Americans overindulge in the section labeled "grains."

Because most people didn't know what a whole grain is, they end up eating tons of white bread, white rice, and pasta.

Today's food pyramid guidelines clearly explain that of the 8 ounces of grains needed every day, at least half should be whole grains. Whole grain foods include oatmeal, whole-grain bread, brown rice, and whole-grain cereals.

For example, a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast is two servings of grains. A sandwich for lunch made on whole wheat bread adds two more grain servings -- and that may be your total requirement for the day.

Likewise, meeting the requirements of vegetables is equally easy. If you eat a cup of salad at lunch and dinner, that's four servings of vegetables. Add a half cup of another vegetable and you've met the minimum daily requirement.

For breakfast, drink 4 ounces of a whole juice. Grab an apple or orange for an afternoon snack and that meets your fruit requirement for the day.

The goal of the new food pyramid is to help you make intelligent food choices that fit in your busy lifestyle - opting for the most nutrient-dense foods. The food pyramid also reminds each of us to watch our portion sizes and get some exercise and physical activity every day.