The healthy diet pyramid is a visual and descriptive reference to help people learn which foods they should eat in order to maintain optimal health. The visual representation is in the shape of a pyramid, with foods that should frequently be eaten at the large base of the pyramid and foods to be eaten sparingly at the small top point of the pyramid.
History
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) developed the original food pyramid in 1992, complete with a graphical representation to help people better understand what they should be including in a healthy diet and the proper ratios of each type of food. In 2005, the USDA released a new pyramid and guidelines that try to take into account different individuals' age, activity levels and preferences. The MyPyramid website lets people personalize the pyramid and gives individual food recommendations.
Types
Beyond the government-sponsored food pyramid, there are many different healthy diet pyramids designed by various groups to take into account different lifestyles, cultures and dietary preferences. Some examples of this are the Vegetarian Diet pyramid, the Mediterranean Diet Pyramid and the Latin American Diet Pyramid. There are also pyramids that address specific diseases or conditions, such as the Diabetes Food Pyramid designed by the American Diabetes Association.
Recommendations
The recommendations in all healthy diet pyramids are generally similar. All of the pyramids emphasize whole grains, fruits, vegetables and high-quality proteins as the main components of a healthy diet. Sugars, fats, salt and alcohol usually are considered things to be eaten in moderation. However, some pyramids recommend a specific type or amount of these things. For example, in the Mediterranean Food Pyramid, olive oil is used in place of all other oils or fats and is recommended for daily consumption.
Associated Nutritional Information
The USDA official MyPyramid food pyramid has many other resources associated with it that help people determine how to use the pyramid in a healthy diet. It works with things such as nutritional labeling on packages to let individuals know how much of a particular food makes up one serving and what food groups in the pyramid a particular menu item belongs to.
Controversy
There has been some controversy about the USDA pyramid in recent years. Many of the complaints about it have been that it does not take into account recent scientific research on food and nutrition. For example, the USDA pyramid originally considered all fats to be unhealthy, but recent research has shown health benefits from certain fats, such as monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats. Harvard University has developed its own Healthy Eating Pyramid to address modern research into food science and nutrition.
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