Healthy Diet Food Pyramid Exchange

Food pyramids are a familiar method of depicting food groups relative to their prevalence in a diet. Dieters seeking sound information regarding nutrition and food choices can turn to food pyramids for guidance on selecting meals without resorting to fad diet limitations. If you are seeking a healthy diet, a food pyramid can provide a framework from within which you can select your food exchanges.

History

The United States Department of Agriculture published its first healthy diet guidelines in 1894. This was the foundational concept of the first food guide published in 1916, "Food for Young Children," which was based on five food groups. A National Nutrition Conference called in 1941 initiated the presentation of Recommended Daily Allowances of various nutritional factors. The familiar food pyramid was launched in the 1960s, encouraging the public to select food servings within the parameters of each healthy food category.

Function

A food pyramid is a way of quickly, graphically conveying information regarding the elements of a healthy diet. A food pyramid visually puts into perspective the proportions which various types of foods should play in your diet. Healthy dieters can select their daily food serving exchanges, staying within the proportions recommended on the pyramid. The USDA food pyramid can be used to create a food exchange system useful for the control of blood sugar in persons with diabetes, according to a paper published by the Vanderbilt University Psychology Department.

Types

The present U.S. Department of Agriculture food pyramid, adopted in 2005, depicts six food categories -- grains, vegetables, fruits, oils, milk, and meat and beans -- in vertical ribbons of color. The width of each vertical color band is proportionate to the relative quantity of that food group which the USDA advises should be included in your daily food intake. Grains and vegetables together comprise about half of the USDA food pyramid area, while fruits, dairy products and meats occupy most of the other half, with only a small space allotted to fats and oils. Consumers can select food exchanges within these categories while maintaining appropriate categorical proportions.

Types

Before 2005, the prior USDA food pyramid followed a format of horizontal bands with the largest quantities of food to be eaten each day on the wide pyramid base and the unnecessary or discretionary foods at the top. The Harvard School of Public Health Healthy Eating pyramid follows the format of the older USDA pyramid, stacking layers of food categories which should be eaten most often for optimal health, like whole grains and vegetables, in the pyramid base and depicting fats and sugars in the small upper tip of the pyramid. Cornell University helped develop a Vegetarian Diet Pyramid, which places food groups similarly to the Harvard pyramid but rebalanced to illustrate a healthy vegetarian diet.

Considerations

The food pyramid devised by the USDA is not without criticism by respected health entities. The USDA pyramid is flawed, according to the Harvard School of Public Health, as it does not convey enough information to make healthy food exchange choices, and it recommends foods which may be detrimental to health. For example, the USDA pyramid advises that half of the daily grain consumption may take the form of white flour and white rice, which Harvard advises may have negative health effects.