As far back as you can remember when you first started learning about food and nutrition, you were introduced to the Food Pyramid. Created by the USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture), the goal was to make it easy to understand (who can forget the colorful cartoon graphics of the different food groups?). But still, it left many of us confused, thinking ìno wonder they call it a pyramid; it's more baffling than the ancient Egyptian pyramids!"

Lucky for us, the government has come up with a new way of helping us understand what kinds of foods and how much of it we should be eating. And because our ages and levels of activity vary, each of us has a different need when it comes to food intake. That's probably why they changed the name to MyPyramid, and have introduced a nifty new Web site, MyPyramid.gov, which allows you to create your own personal guide.

The proportionality of the food groups remains on the chart. Let's take a look at what they suggest for a person on a 2,000 calorie diet. Remember, your caloric needs may be different. To find the amounts that are right for you, visit MyPyramid.gov.

Grains: Make half your grains whole (eat 6 oz. every day). Eat at least 3 oz. of whole grain cereals, breads, crackers, rice or pasta every day. 1 oz. is about 1 slice of bread, 1 cup of breakfast cereal, or 1/2 cup of cooked rice, cereal or pasta.

Vegetables: Vary your veggies (eat 2 1/2 cups every day). Eat more dark green veggies like broccoli, spinach, and other dark leafy greens. Eat more orange veggies like carrots and sweet potatoes. Eat more dry beans and peas like pinto beans, kidney beans, and lentils.

Fruits: Focus on fruits (eat 2 cups every day). Eat a variety of fruit. Choose fresh, frozen, canned or dried fruit. Go easy on fruit juices.

Milk: Get your calcium-rich foods (get 3 cups every day). Go low-fat or fat-free when you choose milk, yogurt, and other milk products. If you don't or can't consume milk because of lactose intolerance, choose lactose-free products or other calcium sources such as fortified foods and beverages.

Meat & Beans: Go lean with protein (eat 5 1/2 oz. every day). Choose low-fat or lean meats and poultry. Vary your protein routine ó choose more fish, beans, peas, nuts and seeds. Bake it, broil it or grill it.

As you will see on the "MyPyramid" graphic above, in addition to the food groups, they've added some new concepts that relate to food intake (like Activity, Moderation and Variety).

---

©Copyright 2009, Big Y Foods, Inc., Springfield, MA, (413) 784.0600
Artwork is for display purposes only and does not necessarily reflect specific items. Not responsible for typographical errors.