In 2005 the U.S. Department of Agriculture introduced a new version of the 1992 food guide pyramid. This version of the food guide pyramid is called MyPyramid and was designed help adults and children make healthy food choices. The new pyramid was also developed to help decrease high obesity rates in the United States. MyPyramid also provides guidelines and meal plans for specific population groups. MyPyramid is available on the USDA website.
Features
New features have been added to the 2005 food guide pyramid that didn't exist in the 1992 version. Additions to the 2005 version of the food guide pyramid, or MyPyramid, include recommendations for specific groups such as children and pregnant and breastfeeding women. MyPyramid provides meal plans for adults and children based on individual characteristics such as age and gender. Physical activity recommendations are also present in MyPyramid.
Physical Activity
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a 2009 U.S. Survey showed that only 35 percent of Americans exercise regularly. The MyPyramid physical activity recommendation for adults is at least 30 minutes of exercise most days of the week. MyPyramid encourages children and teenagers to be physically active for 60 minutes most days of the week.
Food Groups
Food groups included in MyPyramid are grains, fruits, vegetables, meat and beans, milk, and oils. Grains include foods such as pasta, rice, bread, cereal, crackers and pretzels. The milk group includes milk and milk products such as cheese and yogurt. The meat and beans group encompasses meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dried peas and beans, seeds, and nuts. Portion sizes for food groups are given in cups, ounces and teaspoons. Discretionary calories, or calories from extra foods of your choice, are included in meal plans.
Meal Planner
MyPyramid provides a meal planner called MyPyramid Plan that is customized for each person. Information such as age, gender, height, body weight and activity level is needed for the meal planner to work. Each meal plan provides information such as calorie recommendations, how much of each food group to consume and the amount of discretionary calories allowed each day. MyPyramid Plan for Moms is available for pregnant or breastfeeding women, MyPyramid Plan for Your Preschooler is available for children ages 2 to 5 and MyPyramid for Kids is a pyramid for kids ages 6 to 11.
Food Encyclopedia
The USDA MyPyramid website offers a food encyclopedia called MyFood-A-pedia. Calorie information for certain types of foods can be obtained through this feature of MyPyramid, which can be helpful when trying to follow a specific meal plan.
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