Remember when the dietary guidelines were four food groups? I think I still had naptime every day. But the eating suggestions from the U.S. Department of Agriculture changed in 1992 to a pyramid and (three cheers!) have just been updated again—to another pyramid. (Where are the trapezoid advocates?) A quick calculation using their online tool says I need 6 ounces of grains a day, though I couldn’t tell you how much that really is. I’d understand percentages better: 30% grains; 20% fruits; 20% vegetables; 20% daily; 10% meats, totaling an 1800 calorie diet. Too bad my diet’s closer to 75% grains; 5% vegetables; 5% dairy; 15% sugar. Yum! Calculate your own diet needs so you, too, can feel guilty for not eating enough beans.
If you didn’t hear it here, how would you know: “The MyPyramid symbol, which is deliberately simple, is meant to encourage consumers to make healthier food choices and to be active every day.” A picture is worth a thousand words, it would seem.
Another pyramid scheme: Healing Foods Pyramid emphasizes munchies that help prevent obesity, heart disease and cancer. This, too, is interactive. Anyone with diet success/crash-and-burn stories?
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