The United States Department of Agriculture's Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion established the Food Pyramid in 1992. The goal of the Food Pyramid is the advancement and promotion of dietary guidelines for all Americans and the application of nutrition research. The Food Pyramid is updated every five years with the release of the USDA's Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
MyPyramid
MyPyramid replaced the Food Pyramid in 2005. The MyPyramid design is simple and encourages physical activity with the figure climbing the stairs up the side of the pyramid. MyPyramid also differs from the old Food Pyramid in that the food groups are now arranged in vertical strips, instead of being stacked horizontally. This change marked a shift in emphasis from grains to fruits and vegetables as the suggested main carbohydrate source.
Food Groups
Most people recognize the Food Pyramid by its food group building blocks. The food groups included in the 2011 edition of MyPyramid are grains, fruits, vegetables, dairy and protein foods. Before 2005 the protein foods category was simply "meats", but this was changed to include vegetarians. This change also included the re-categorizing of legumes from vegetables to protein foods. Previous Food Pyramid editions also contained an oils and sweets category, advising to minimize this group, this has since been moved off the graphic and listed as an aside under "discretionary calories".
Slogans
Each food group has an associated slogan that gives more information about making dietary choices within that group. For grains they advise "make half your grains whole" and for protein foods its "go lean with protein". Fruits and vegetables are combined into "5 a day the color way" meaning, you should eat at least five combined servings of fruits and vegetables and every serving should be a different color, since the color on the outside determines what nutrients are inside.
Serving Sizes
The dietary recommendations in MyPyramid are based on serving sizes. Serving sizes differ depending on the food group and the specific type of food. A serving of grain is 1 oz., which is 1 slice of bread, 1 cup of cereal or 1/2 cup of cooked rice or pasta. For fruits and vegetables either 1 medium piece, like an apple, is considered a serving or 1 cup of something smaller, like berries, as well as 2 cups of leafy greens or 1 cup of juice. 1 cup of milk, yogurt or ice cream or 1.5 oz. of cheese is considered a serving of dairy and 3 oz. of meat, 3 eggs or 1/2 cup of beans is considered a protein serving.
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