Helping You Understand the Food Pyramid

Since the primary focus of this column is to promote health and wellness, I wanted to share a resource that many of you might not know about. The website is MyPyramid.gov. At first glance, this may look like the old fashioned “food guide pyramid,” but it has much more current and individualized information.

The creator of MyPyramid.gov is the Center for Nutrition Promotion and Policy, an organization under the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It launched in 1994 with the purpose of improving the nutrition and well-being of the American people. The primary objectives are to:

1. Advance and promote dietary guidance for all Americans, and;
2. Conduct applied research and analyses in nutrition and consumer economics.

There are several features of the site that I think are beneficial to the American household, starting with a daily food plan. You can enter basic information about yourself, such as height, weight, gender and exercise level and a dietary plan is created for you. This gives you general guidelines you can follow to maintain a healthy diet. It also includes the amount of recommended exercise for a person with your profile.

Oftentimes, I think a barrier to eating a balanced healthy diet is a lack of knowledge about how much food you should be eating and from which of the five food groups. This quick assessment is a great place to start if you need more information. Also, you can find information about different types of foods, oils, calories, eating out, meal planning and exercise.

Another great tool on this website is that it is designed to target different audiences. As we progress through life, we have different dietary needs. There is a section for toddlers, adolescents, pregnant/breast feeding women, the general population, and those looking for weight loss advice. In addition, there are posters, worksheets, and informational packets available for anyone to use, especially teachers.  The website is also available in Spanish.

If you are looking for a great resource for yourself and your family, consider adding MyPyramid.gov to your favorites list so you can have a quick and easy nutritional guideline at your disposal.