The Food Pyramid

So I thought the basics of eating right would be a good start, and what’s more basic to nutrition then the classic food pyramid? I remember learning about the food pyramid in 7th grade during a home economics class, but never really thought about it. Who would? It’s just a picture that everyone gets to recognize, but never really consider it’s many uses. Some may not realize that the food pyramid has changed, as in the idea of how much we should consume of which food groups. Before the year 2005 the idea of how much you should consume (in order from most to least) went grains, vegetables, fruits, dairy and protein being the same, and then sweets. These days, the idea has changed. Now the order is dairy, vegetables, fruits, grains, protein and then sweets.

When you look at a food pyramid, you first notice the different sized sections and the different colors that identify them. Some images of the food pyramid have pictures of acceptable foods for each group. That is if you’re looking at a food pyramid that’s in color. But even if it was in black and white each section would still be a different shade of grey. The size of the section on the pyramid reflects how much an individual should consume of that particular food group compared to the other known food groups. However, today’s food pyramid I believe is not drawn to consumer scale. Just about each section looks the same size which, in when it come to consuming them, is not the case. The 6 main food groups are grains, fruits, vegetables, dairy, protein, and sweets. The biggest section on the food pyramid is the section recommended to eat the most of. The old food pyramid suggested eating grains and breads the most. Today, the new pyramid’s largest section is dairy. The old food pyramid and today’s food pyramid both optioned having vegetables and fruits as the second most in your diet. Dairy and grains flip flopped between the old and the new food pyramids and protein also, remained the same between the two. Along with sweets being dead last. A little sliver on the food pyramid at the tippy top.

I think we need to realize the food pyramid is not just a well known image. It actually have a method and scientific facts backing it up. Nutritionists went through the trouble of coming up with the wonderfully simple idea, but never really get any credit for the work they’ve put into it. They don’t get to see any results from the people following their well researched process.