The Shape of Your Diet: The New Food Guide Pyramid
by Jennifer May, M.S., R.D., M.S.

Early last week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture unveiled the new food guide pyramid—the first revision to the pyramid since it was first released back in 1992. The revised pyramid is based on the dietary guidelines that were published earlier this year. The new graphic features a sketch of an individual exercising and stresses the importance of at least 30 minutes of exercise each day for adults and at least 60 minutes most days for children and teens. There are also six colorful triangles, each representing a different food group, as you can see below:

Source: MyPyramid.gov

• Orange represents the grain group.
  
• Green represents the vegetable group.
  
• Red represents the fruit group.
  
• Yellow represents oils.
  
• Blue represents the milk/dairy group.
  
• Purple represents the bean and meat group.

Although not specifically included in the pyramid, the new guidelines also include "discretionary calories"—the calories that are left over once all nutritional needs have been met. Discretionary calories can be used on larger servings of pyramid foods, higher-fat selections of pyramid foods, or extras such as desserts.

But how much of each food group do you need? The old dietary guidelines were based on a standard reference of 2000 calories per day. However, there are twelve different versions of the 2005 pyramid, ranging from 1000 calories per day (recommended for sedentary toddlers) to 3200 calories per day (recommended for active teenage boys). Here is how the recommendations stack up for 1200, 1600, and 2000 calories.

	1200 calories	1600 calories	2000 calories	Notes
Grains	4 oz equivalents	5 oz equivalents	6 oz equivalents	At least half of your grain servings should be whole grains.
Vegetables	1.5 cups	2 cups	2.5 cups	One cup of raw or cooked vegetables or vegetable juice, or 2 cups of raw leafy greens, can be counted as 1 cup from the vegetable group. See below for more specifics.
Fruits	1 cup	1.5 cups	2 cups	Eat a variety of fresh, frozen, dried, or canned fruits, but limit fruit juices and fruits prepared with added sugar.
Oils	4 teaspoons	5 teaspoons	6 teaspoons	Choose unsaturated fats and limit saturated and trans fats.
Dairy	2 cups	3 cups	3 cups	Choose fat-free or low-fat milk, yogurt, and cheese. If you choose sweetened milk or yogurt, the extra calories should be counted as part of your discretionary calorie allotment.
Beans, nuts, and meat	3 oz equivalents	5 oz equivalents	5.5 oz equivalents	Choose the leanest sources. Extra fat from meats should be counted as part of your discretionary calorie allotment, as should any fat used to prepare the meat. Beans also count as part of your vegetable intake.
Discretionary calories	171	132	265

The new guidelines also make more specific recommendations about what types of vegetables to choose. Over the course of a week, aim for the following amounts:

	1200 calories	1600 calories	2000 calories
Dark green vegetables (bok choy, dark green lettuce, spinach, collard greens, etc.)	1.5 cups	2 cups	3 cups
Orange vegetables (carrots, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, acorn squash, etc.)	1.5 cups	2 cups	3 cups
Legumes (black beans, kidney beans, pinto beans, black-eyed peas, chickpeas, etc.)	1 cup	2.5 cups	3 cups
Starchy vegetables (corn, potatoes, green peas, lima beans)	2.5 cups	2.5 cups	3 cups
Other vegetables (asparagus, beets, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, peppers, tomatoes, summer squash)	4.5 cups	5.5 cups	6.5 cups

If you are following one of DietWatch's meal plans, then your food intake will be more or less in line with these new recommendations. Because the DietWatch plans were designed to provide optimal nutrition with fewer calories, they are rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and fiber.

What to think? Here are some pros and cons (at least in my opinion) of the new pyramid.

Pros

Cons

Offers links to great online resources Portrays the importance of regular exercise Improved balance of food groups Colorful representation Does provide more specific guidelines regarding healthy fat options and whole grains

Not everyone has access to the Internet, and downloading of information can be slow due to many visitors to new site Recommendations are not as specific for some individuals such as children and athletes Individuals have to do further research into what the triangles mean, what foods are recommended, and in what amounts No longer provides pictures of food examples with each group (a nice feature when teaching certain audiences, especially children) Materials for teaching need to be downloaded and copied, which can be time-consuming and expensive

The USDA has established a Web site, MyPyramid.gov, where visitors can determine their caloric and nutritional needs. The site also provides tips on making the best choices from each group. In general, the new guidelines are more specific than those provided with the 1992 pyramid. However, because the material is available almost entirely online, it may not be accessible to those who need it most. Moreover, the pyramid is designed for healthy individuals 2 years and older and is not designed to be a therapeutic diet for those who have diabetes, food allergies, or other conditions. If this is the case for you, then talk to your health care provider about how to best adapt the new recommendations to your needs.

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Jennifer May, M.S., R.D., M.S. is the Manager of Nutrition Services for DietWatch.com. Jennifer holds two master's degrees from Indiana University, one in nutrition science and one in exercise physiology. Jennifer has taught nutrition and biology at the university level, and has provided nutrition and fitness counseling and coaching for individuals, medical facilities, health organizations, and schools. She has produced educational materials and has appeared frequently on radio and television.