The New Food Pyramid
However, for a more detailed analysis of your eating habits and physical activity that takes into account your height and weight in addition to your age and gender, you can use the more advanced "My Pyramid Tracker." Although the new system may seem more complex, it really isn't; instead of one pyramid for everybody, the website provides you with information tailored to your needs and level of interest.
exercise countsNot only do the Internet tools take into account your level of physical activity, but the new pyramids actually depict a person climbing steps to the top of the triangle to emphasize the importance of exercise, for which there are specific recommendations.
In a nutshell, the new pyramids recommend at least 30 minutes of exercise a day to reduce the risk of disease, 60 minutes to prevent weight gain, and 90 minutes to maintain weight loss.
specific servingsAnother welcome change to the pyramids is the more specific description of servings. The old pyramid recommended, for example, six to 11 servings of grains a day. This was open to wide misinterpretation since most people had no clue what "a serving" looked like, which often led them to overestimate. In order to make the new advice clearer and more understandable, the government switched to cups, ounces and other specific measures to describe quantities.
new guidelinesThe basis for all these changes was the 70-page booklet entitled Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005 , which was developed by a group of doctors and scientists and released in January 2005. The booklet made a total of 23 general recommendations, and 18 more for special populations such as children and the elderly.
While the new pyramid system has received both praise and criticism, we will have to wait and see whether or not the American population actually uses it, and whether or not it has a long-term impact on the nation's weight and health.