Article: Government Issues 12 New Food Pyramids

[Guest guest]

Here is the link to the new food pyramid(s)

http://mypyramid.gov/

 

*Smile*

Chris (list mom)

http://www.alittleolfactory.com

 

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Government Issues 12 New Food Pyramids

 

By LIBBY QUAID, Associated Press Writer

 

WASHINGTON - Concerned about steadily expanding waistlines, the

government flipped the food pyramid on its side, adding a staircase for

exercise and giving consumers 12 individually-tailored models for

improving their eating habits.

 

 

Inside the pyramid released Tuesday, rainbow-colored bands representing

different food groups run vertically from the tip to the base. The old

single, triangle-shaped pyramid had a horizontal presentation of food

categories that many found confusing.

 

 

 

Exercise is key to the new system. Fitness expert Denise Austin

delivered a pep talk about the recommended 30 minutes of physical

activity, represented on the new pyramids by the figure of a person

climbing steps toward the tip. Also in store are new Internet tools to

help follow the guidelines.

 

 

 

The new guide, dubbed " MyPyramid, " encourages Americans to customize

their diet and exercise regime along 12 models geared to specific

calorie needs and levels of physical activity.

 

 

 

Food groups are represented by six different colors: Orange for grains,

green for vegetables, red for fruits, yellow for oils, blue for milk

products and purple for meats and beans. The bands are wider for grains,

vegetables, milk products and fruits, because people should eat more of

them.

 

 

 

Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns called the new guide " a system of

information to help consumers understand how to put nutrition

recommendations into action. "

 

 

 

People have steadily grown fatter since the food pyramid debuted in

1992. A report last month in The New

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> England Journal of Medicine contended that obesity, particularly in

children, was shaving four to nine months off the average life

expectancy.

 

 

 

Johanns said the 1992 pyramid had " become quite familiar, but few

Americans follow the recommendations. " He said that knowledge about

nutrition and food consumption patterns has grown significantly in the

past dozen years and is reflected in the new food guidance symbols.

 

 

 

" If we don't change these trends, our children may be the first

generation that cannot look forward to a longer life span than their

parents, " said Eric Bost, the Agriculture Department's under secretary

for food, nutrition and consumer services.

 

 

 

Food companies announced Tuesday they will distribute posters and guides

for teachers and parents next fall aimed at reaching 4 million students.

Materials for students to take home will be in both English and Spanish

and will include math, nutrition and science activities.

 

 

 

One big change is intended to help people control their portion sizes.

The old pyramid explained its advice in " serving " sizes, but now, to

make its advice more understandable, the government will switch to cups,

ounces and other household measures.

 

 

 

The switch was recommended in a 70-page booklet, " Dietary Guidelines for

Americans 2005, " that was developed by a panel of scientists and doctors

and released in January. As the basis for revising the pyramid, the

guidelines emphasize choosing good carbohydrates over bad ones; for

example, choosing bread made from whole-grain flour instead of white

flour.

 

 

 

They also recommend eating 3 ounces of whole-grain foods a day; eating 2

cups of fruit and 2 1/2 cups of vegetables a day; and drinking 3 cups of

fat-free or lowfat milk a day.

 

 

 

Besides the suggested 30 minutes of daily exercise to reduce the risk of

chronic disease, the government also advises even more exercise to

prevent weight gain or maintain weight loss.

 

 

 

In all, there were 23 general recommendations and 18 suggestions for

older people, children and other special populations.

 

 

 

That's too much to cram into a symbol that is supposed to be clipped out

and stuck to the refrigerator, said Eric Hentges, director of the

Agriculture Department's Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion.

 

 

 

The Agriculture Department will offer Web pages that let people appraise

their diet and exercise habits. Such a tool has already been available

through the agency's Web site; the Interactive Healthy Eating Index has

a notice on its home page that it will soon be updated.

 

 

Even if the symbol and online tools don't motivate people to change

their habits, they'll still have some healthier choices. Food companies

have been removing trans fats from their products and adding whole

grains because of the government guidance.

 

 

" If you get the industry involved and make them feel that they're doing

a good thing and that they're getting credit for doing a good thing,

they'll do it. They'll change their product, " said K. Dun Gifford,

president of Oldways Preservation Trust, a Boston-based think tank that

specializes in food issues.

 

 

Critics have raised questions about the public relations agency hired to

help create the new version of the pyramid. The firm, Porter Novelli,

has food companies as clients, but both Agriculture Department and

Porter Novelli officials have said the firm's industry work is handled

separately and there would be no conflict of interest.

 

 

Hentges said his staff of scientists, economists and nutritionists isn't

equipped to promote its new approach. If it's not marketed effectively,

he said, " then we're not going to be able to get this behavior change or

improve anything for Americans. "

 

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Bush administration on Tuesday kept the same

controversial food " pyramid, " making some cursory changes to encourage

healthy eating and exercise that drew criticism for being more confusing

than helpful for an increasingly overweight country.

 

 

The U.S. Agriculture Department updated its well-known Food Guide

Pyramid with a triangular symbol that emphasizes exercise and urges

consumers to use an Internet site to design a personalized plan for

healthy eating.

 

 

 

But it kept the basic shape of the food pyramid, which was developed in

1992 and criticized by many health experts for contributing to obesity

by pushing foods high in carbohydrates.

 

 

 

Some health experts immediately criticized the new symbol, called

MyPyramid, for placing responsibility for a slimmer America on consumers

and not food companies. They also said it was more confusing and would

not help poor Americans who do not have a computer.

 

 

 

" This is a complete pandering to the food industry and does not help

consumers who are enormously confused about what to eat, " said Marion

Nestle, professor of nutrition and food studies at New York University.

 

 

 

Margo Wootan, nutrition director of the Center for Science in the Public

Interest added, " People need very clear advice without having to log on

to the Internet. "

 

 

 

The triangle is divided by six-different colored bands representing

different food groups, and has a set of steps beside it with a stick

figure walking up them to emphasize exercise.

 

 

 

" It's all about calories in and calories out. It's that simple, " said

Denise Austin, fitness guru and a member of the White House's Physical

Fitness and Sports Council. " The more you move, the more you lose. "

 

 

 

Food proportions are shown by the different widths of the bands with

grains (orange) the largest, followed by dairy (blue), vegetables

(green), fruits (red), meat and beans (purple), and fats, sugars and

salt (yellow).

 

 

 

The actual portions of each food group a consumer should eat on a daily

basis to maintain their weight depends on age, gender and amount of

daily exercise, the USDA said.

 

 

 

A consumer must go to a USDA Web site -- www.mypyramid.gov -- and type

in information to obtain the recommended servings.

 

 

 

Nestle said the USDA's new approach will prevent many poor Americans who

lack a computer from accessing the government's recommendations. " The

people that need the advice the most aren't going to get it, " she said.

 

 

 

About two-thirds of American adults and 14 percent of American children

are overweight. Obesity is blamed for 400,000 deaths a year.

 

 

 

The U.S. food industry welcomed the new USDA icon, saying the

integration of physical activity as part of a healthy lifestyle would

increase its effectiveness.

 

 

 

The Grocery Manufacturers of America, the largest food and beverage

trade association, said it was happy the USDA stuck with the basic

pyramid shape as its icon -- which more than 80 percent of Americans

recognize.