The U.S. Department of Agriculture's goal in developing the 1992 food pyramid was to visually portray three concepts: eating a variety of foods, eating more healthy, whole foods than high-fat foods and eating in moderation, according to a December 2006 article in the "Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior." Before the USDA updated the pyramid in 2005, they solicited comments from consumers on visual appeal, graphic content and overall messages before presenting the new pyramid to the public.
Horizontal vs. Vertical Bands
The original 1992 food pyramid was black, with six horizontal bands. Each band contained a drawing of one of the food groups. The USDA recommended eating more foods from the bottom of the pyramid and fewer from the top. The new pyramid leaves off food drawings, but instead uses vertically placed diagonal bands which are wider at the bottom of the pyramid and narrower toward the top. The purpose of the vertical bands is to remind you to eat more food in each group that contains whole and natural foods, and to limit your intake of each food group that has processed fats or refined sugars. For example, eat more 100 percent whole wheat breads, and less donuts or cakes.
Food Groups
The colors on the new food pyramid represent specific food types, or groups, whereas the old food pyramid used pictures and occasionally words. The older food pyramid groups, from bottom to top, were the bread group, the vegetable and fruit group, the milk, yogurt and cheese group, the meat, poultry, dry beans and nut group and the fats, oils and sweets group. On the new food pyramid, shorter names and colors represent the five food groups, plus oils. Yellow stands for oils, purple represents beans and meats, red symbolizes fruits, blue indicates milk, green is for vegetables and orange depicts grains. The size of the stripe guides you on consumption levels. Grains should be the most plentiful in your diet, while oils should be the least.
Inclusion of Oils
The inclusion of a yellow, thin stripe representing healthy oils on the new pyramid is a primary difference between the food groups on the old and new food pyramids. The older food pyramid simply recommended limiting fats to 30 percent of your calories. However, the 2010 Dietary Guidelines indicate that eating monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats in moderation is important to your heart and overall health. Within each of the current food groups, the dietary guidelines recommend limiting saturated and trans fats whether you are eating from the grain group, the meat group or the milk group. Fat-free or low fat choices from the food groups ensure you stay away from the unhealthy fats.
Addition of Activity
The most recent food pyramid differs from the old pyramid with the addition of three-dimensional steps on the left side of the pyramid. The new food guide pyramid aims to remind Americans that physical activity has a direct effect on health and well-being. The old food pyramid simply displayed food, with no depiction of a person being physically active. The new pyramid's focus on activity as well as healthy food choices may help you commit to 30 minutes of daily aerobic exercise.
References
- "Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior": Developing the Consumer Interface for the MyPyramid Food Guidance System; Jackie Haven, et al.; November/December 2006
- MyPyramid.gov: Anatomy of MyPyramid
- United States Department of Agriculture: Food Groups
- United States Department of Agriculture: The Food Guide Pyramid
- U.S. Department of Agriculture: Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010
- United States Department of Agriculture: What is Physical Activity
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