The United States Department of Agriculture created the Food Pyramid as a dietary guideline to help people meet current nutritional recommendations. Early versions focused only on nutrient adequacy for a foundation diet, but the current Food Pyramid, released in April 2005, outlines the type and amount of foods you should eat to meet both nutrient and energy needs. The Food Pyramid divides foods into groups and recommends serving sizes and number of servings. Serving recommendations come from the National Institutes of Medicine and nutritional goals set by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Updates to the Food Pyramid occur periodically as nutritional recommendations change thanks to updated scientific findings.
Grains
The grain food group includes any foods made from a cereal grain like wheat, rice, oats, cornmeal and barley. The Food Pyramid recommends adults consume between 5 and 8 oz. serving equivalents per day, depending on age, gender and physical activity level. One ounce equals about one slice of bread, a one-cup serving of ready-to-eat cereal and a 1/2-cup serving of rice or pasta. The Food Pyramid recommends you consume at least half your grains as whole grains. Whole grains contain the bran, germ and endosperm of the grain, and provide more nutrients and fiber than refined grains, which have their bran and germ removed during processing.
Vegetables
The vegetable food group includes any vegetable -- raw or cooked, fresh or canned, whole or mashed. Juice labeled as 100 percent vegetable juice also counts as a vegetable. The Food Pyramid recommends adults, depending on age, gender and physical activity level, consume two to three cups of vegetables per day. The serving size for a vegetable is either one cup or a 1/2 cup, depending on the vegetable. For example, when eating peas or corn, measure a one cup serving, but eating six baby carrots equals a ½ cup serving. The Food Pyramid divides vegetables into five subgroups depending on their nutrient content: dark green, orange, dry beans, starchy and other.
Fruit
The fruit food group includes any fresh, frozen, canned or dried fruit. Again, the amount recommended for each person depends on age, gender and physical activity level, but adults in general should consume between 1 1/2 and 2 cups per day. Determining the serving size varies by fruit. The Food Pyramid provides a chart of specific amounts of fruit that count as one-cup servings, for example, a medium apple, a large banana and 32 grapes all count as one-cup servings.
Dairy
The dairy food group encompasses all fluid milk products and all foods made from milk that keep their calcium content. This means foods like cream cheese and butter are not included in the dairy food group. Adults should consume three cups of dairy food per day. Because of the high fat content of dairy -- one cup of whole milk contains 8 g of fat including 5g of saturated fat -- the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends low-fat dairy foods. A one-cup serving size includes one cup of milk or yogurt, 1 ½ oz. of natural cheese or 2 oz. of processed cheese.
Protein
The protein food group includes meat, fish, poultry, dry beans, peas, eggs, nuts and seeds. The amount of protein you need depends upon age, gender and physical activity. Adults should consume between 5 and 6 1/2 oz. equivalents from the protein food group, and choose mainly low-fat choices like fish or beans. A 1 oz. serving size equals 1 oz. of meat, chicken or fish; 1 egg; 1/4 cup of beans; 1 tbsp. of peanut butter; 1/2 oz. of nuts or seeds.
References
- Institute of Medicine Food and Nutrition Board: Dietary Reference Intake Summary; 2004
- USDA: Food Groups: What Counts as a Cup of Fruit?
- United States Department of Agriculture: MyPyramid Food Groups
- Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010
- Journal of Nutrition Education Behavior; Development of Food Intake Patterns for the MyPyramid Food Guidance System; Britten et. al.; 2006
- United States Department of Agriculture: Press Release April 19, 2005
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