Food Pyramid Emphasizes Whole Grains, Physical Activity
The federal government has taken its antiquated nutritional guide, the food pyramid, and given it a thoroughly modern update.
Gone are the hard-and-fast rules about how many servings of different foods children and adults should consume. An interactive program aimed at helping Americans customize their diets to match their bodies and lifestyles has replaced those guidelines, which last were updated in 1992. MyPyramid.com. is designed as a one-stop shop for the government’s new dietary program, and the name says it all – it creates an individual pyramid for each person based on age, gender and level of physical activity.
Amid the popularity of eating plans such as the South Beach Diet, which focuses on good fats, grains, vegetables and protein and discourages eating simple sugars, the new food pyramid is based on recommendations from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Department of Health and Human Services, which issued the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans in January.
“They’re taking the newest and latest scientific evidence and putting it into a guidelines system,” said Natasha Jones, a registered and licensed dietitian who works with the West Virginia Office of Nutritional Services.
The new food pyramid system was unveiled in April, and now state nutrition experts are working to incorporate the new methodology.
“The main difference is there is another emphasis on physical activity,” Jones said.
Although the new program is supposed to be an easy roadmap to good nutrition, Jones said it takes a little time to navigate MyPyramid.com because food portions are suggested in ounces. But the site does include practical tips for meeting the guidelines, such as how to introduce an adequate amount of whole grains into a daily diet complete with meal suggestions.
“The recommendations may seem a little complex at first glance, but time will tell if MyPyramid.com serves as an effective program,” Jones said.
She said her main focus is on WIC, the special supplemental nutrition program for Women, Infants and Children, which serves about 8 million people nationwide each month and about half of all infants.
West Virginia, like other states, will begin taking its cue from the federal government to educate WIC subscribers on the new food pyramid.
“We base our nutrition information on the government guidelines, so over time the program will change, but it can’t change overnight,” she said. “I know the federal government is in the process of revamping the WIC food packaging.”
WIC offers pregnant women, new mothers and their young children vouchers to buy certain foods tailored to their ages, breast- feeding habits and dietary needs. But the nutrition plans for WIC have not changed much since the program was created in the 1970s.
Jones said all West Virginians should take a hard look at the new food pyramid and re-evaluate their eating practices and level of exercise.
“West Virginia is close to No. 1 in obesity,” Jones said. “The milliondollar-question with all of this (change), however, is what it takes to get people motivated. Is it education or actually having heart disease. and having to take steps to correct it? Prevention is the true health care.”
Copyright State Journal Corporation May 20, 2005