Health Tips

The Food Pyramid is a visual image illustrating the percentages of each group of food that make up a healthy diet.

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) created the Food Pyramid, which was updated to its current form in 1991. The most recent update represents a shift in thinking in American nutrition. Nutritionists used to recommend a diet high in protein. They now call for the average adult to consume less meat, while recommending greater consumption of vegetables, fruits, and grains.

The Food Pyramid, with its recommended servings, represents what the diet and nutrition experts consider to be the most solid, reliable, well-researched thinking to date. It provides a good model for healthy eating. The basic pyramid, developed by the USDA and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is only one model, however.

This pyramid has been adapted for ethnic preferences and there are now pyramids for the Mediterranean diet, the Asian diet and the Latin American diet. Other diets, such as the Hawaiian diet, can also be placed on a food pyramid.

How the Food Pyramid is constructed:

The food pyramid has four levels.

1. At its base, the foundation of a healthy diet, are bread, grains, and cereals. They should compose the largest percentage of what you consume.

2. Next come two food groups (vegetables and fruits) which, together, occupy the second tier of the pyramid.

3. On an even higher, smaller level you find the next two food groups: the milk and meat groups.

4. In the small triangle at the top of the pyramid sit fats and oils and sugars.

How to use the Food Pyramid:

Follow these simple steps.

1. Determine your calorie requirement

2. Translate your calorie requirement into daily food group allowances

3. Use the food group allowances to help you plan your meals and snacks

4. Record what you eat and check it against your daily allowances for each group

5. Use the Food Diary to record the areas where you are typically over your daily allowances

6. Try to alter the diet to be closer to your target

How to fine-tune the Food Pyramid: There are some challenges to using the USDA Food Pyramid. The first is that you need to put some distinction in your food choices, according to your particular dietary goals. For instance, if you are concerned about your weight, you will want to make your choices in the meat group from among those with lower fat content. The food pyramid doesn’t distinguish between hot dogs and lean chicken breast, so these distinctions are up to you.

After you have gone through this exercise a few times, you may find there are some foods that do not fit your diet plan. For instance, pizza may not be the best choice if you are trying to cut down on carbohydrates and fat, because it takes up too much of your daily allowance of each. If you don’t want to consume milk products, you may want to substitute additional carbohydrates.

Variations on the pyramid: These variations on the USDA Food Pyramid are based on diets from regions with historically lower chronic disease rates. They may be worth considering if your family has a history of heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure or diabetes.