The food pyramid has evolved into a program called MyPyramid, which helps people follow the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Every 5 years, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans is updated and published by the Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). These guidelines are designed for people over 2 years old and are based on the latest scientific and fitness information.
How it Works
MyPyramid is designed to help people make smart choices, eat a balanced and nutritious diet, recommendations on the amount of daily physical activity, and daily caloric needs. MyPyramid helps to create a MyPyramid Plan based on a person's age, gender, height, weight and level of physical activity.
In the end, this MyPyramid Plan will assist an individual to determine how much to eat, how many servings to have and how big the serving sizes should be. If an individual doesn't want to create a plan, there are daily recommendations based on age and gender for people to follow.
Grains
Grains are any foods made from rice, oats, wheat, cornmeal, barley or any other cereal grain. These grain foods are divided into two different subgroups: whole grains and refined grains. Whole grains contain the entire grain kernel which includes the bran, germ and endosperm, but refined grains go through a milling process that removes the bran and germ. Brown rice is an example of whole grain, and white bread is an example of refined grain.
Serving sizes are measured by ounces. For adult men aged 19 to 50, the daily recommendations for grains is 7 to 8 ounces, with at least half coming from whole grains. Adult women aged 19 to 50 are recommended to eat 6 ounces of grains, with half coming from whole grains.
Fruit
Fresh fruits or 100% fruit juice are members of the fruit group. They can come in canned, frozen, liquid or dried forms. These forms may be whole, cut or pureed.
The serving sizes are measured in cups. Adult men aged 19 to 50 are recommended to consume 2 cups of fruit a day. Women of the same age group are recommended to consume 1 ½ cups of fruit.
Vegetables
Fresh vegetables or 100% vegetable juice are members of the vegetables group. They may be raw or cooked, fresh, frozen, canned or dried/dehydrated forms. These forms may be whole, cut up or mashed.
The serving sizes are measured in cups. Adult men aged 19 to 50 are recommended to consume 3 cups, and women of the same age group are recommended to consume 2 ½ cups per day.
Milk
All food products made from milk that contain at least most of their calcium content are members of the milk group. Great examples from the milk group are liquid milk, cheese and yogurt. The serving sizes are measured in cups. Adult men and women aged 19-50 are recommended to consume 3 cups of milk products per day.
Meat and Beans
Any foods made from meat, fish, poultry, nuts, eggs, dry beans or peas and seeds are members of the meat and beans group. Dry beans and peas are also considered members of the vegetables group.
Serving sizes are measured by ounces. Adult men aged 19-50 are recommended to consume 6 to 6 1/2 ounces per day. Adult women aged 19-50 are recommended to eat 5 to 5 1/2 ounces per day.
Oils
Oils are fats that become liquid at room temperature and come from many different plants and fish. Olive and canola are two popular types of oils found in the oils group. A big concern when consuming oils are the levels of saturated and trans fats. Too much of these fats can lead to serious health conditions like high cholesterol.
Serving sizes are measured in teaspoons. Adult men and women aged 19 to 50 are recommended to consume between 5 to 7 teaspoons of oils per day.
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