Rainbow Colors - Getting to Know the New Food Pyramid

As a result of the tipping scales and expanding waistlines of Americans, in 2005 the U.S. Department of Agriculture released a new food pyramid. The new pyramid features vertical rainbow bands representing each food group and a staircase on one side that symbolizes exercise as an important part of a healthy diet.

Food's Rainbow Colors

The food groups with their corresponding colors are: grains - orange, vegetables - green, fruits - red, oils - yellow, milk - blue and meat and beans - purple.

The old food pyramid introduced in 1992 stated how many servings of each food group should be consumed daily. The new pyramid does not state how many servings to eat. Rather, the key messages of the new pyramid are:

Eat a variety of foods since a balanced diet includes all the food groups.

Eat more of some foods, less of others since your body needs more of some kinds of foods (fruits, vegetables and grains) and less of others (meat and protein and oils). The fact that the bands start out wide and get thinner near the top reminds us to select foods without solid fats and added sugar.

Find your balance between food intake and physical activity. Choose an eating plan based on you and your lifestyle. Use the site’s interactive tools, MyPyramid plan, MyPyramid Tracker and the Menu Planner to guide your choices.

Don't forget how important physical activity is in keeping a healthy body. The figure walking up the steps on the side of the pyramid reminds us to incorporate 30 minutes of exercise/physical activity into our daily life.

Regardless of the positive change, the pyramid has drawn some criticism from healthcare professionals since its release. Many physicians, dietitians and nutritionists feel the new pyramid is confusing, and since this new information is mostly accessed through the Internet, it is not reaching many of those who need it most.

However, if you can spend some time reviewing the information, the Pyramid is a great place to learn some basic food guidelines. For more information, to view the new food pyramid, and to find out your own personal pyramid plan, visit www.mypyramid.gov.

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