Government Issues 12 New Food Pyramids
By LIBBY QUAID
..c The Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) - Concerned about steadily expanding waistlines, the
government sacked its one-size-fits-all food pyramid Tuesday in favor of a
dozen different guides geared to individual nutritional needs and
lifestyles.
Inside the familiar pyramid shape, 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.
Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns called it ``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 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.''
On the Net:
Agriculture Department: http://www.usda.gov
--
JK Sinrod
Sinrod Stained Glass Studios
http://www.sinrodstudios.com/
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