Recently, the overhauls and changes in the food pyramid are as volatile as the fad diets that follow them. But June 2, the USDA replaced the pyramid for good with its new visual, My Plate.
Just as how the concepts we learned in school became obsolete — like the loss of Pluto as a planet — the food pyramid has now gone by the wayside in efforts ease the conceptualization of a balanced diet, according to nutrition science professor Suzie Goodell.
“What the USDA found was that the pyramid, all along since the very beginning, has been hard for people to interpret and there have been many different interpretations to it,” Goodell said. “They wanted something very basic—simply by looking at it rather than having someone sit down and explain it to you.”
The plate became a familiar icon regarding food and eating and according to Goodell, the USDA recognized this symbol as a means to communicate recommended servings at meals.
“Everyone knows what a plate is and can understand some of it,” Goodell said. “It seems to be more applicable to the average person.”
The USDA first introduced its food guide to the public in 1902 with a report by agricultural chemist Wilbur Atwater, and the guide stuck around for 15 years. Atwater’s guide became the first nutrition literature that laid the foundation of recommended food groups and serving sizes.
After nearly a dozen changes in the federal suggestions of what to eat, the guide evolved over 109 years from a concept map, to a pyramid and now My Plate. However, according to Goodell, they are all communicating the same idea.
“The basic food groups are the same, but altered a bit,” Goodell said. “The difference between the most recent pyramid and the plate is that category meats and beans have been changed to protein. They no longer have that little sliver of fats, oils and sweets and there is no exercise, which was depicted running up the pyramid in the most recent pyramid.”
Additionally, the milk group has been changed back to dairy, but the fruits, vegetables and grains groups have stayed the same. According to Goodell, these changes have come as a way to prevent major lobbying groups representing the food industry to take ownership of a food group.
Nevertheless, Goodell said this would not be that last change in national dietary guides.
“Nothing ever lasts. There will be modifications over time with implementation but it’s going to be there for at least five years because it’s following the dietary guidelines and recommendations that are made every five years. It doesn’t include exercise and it’s missing some of the key components like water. There are definitely some limitations that I hope to see added.”
Joy Morris, a sophomore in biological engineering, said that she doesn’t agree with the importance the USDA gives grains.
“What I noticed is like on the plate and in the pyramid, they always have pasta and bread down as the most important,” Morris said. “I think they should make vegetables more important.”
Stacy Freeman, a sophomore in marine science, said he never heeded the advice of the food pyramid.
“I never really paid attention to it, since I understood what was healthy and unhealthy,” Freeman said. “If they keep on changing it then people will have trouble understanding it.”
The legacy of the pyramid persists. The European Union still uses a pyramid visual and Japan uses an inverted pyramid. China has interpreted the pyramid to match its own culture, using a Buddhist pagoda instead.
However, whether it’s the plate, the pyramid or the pagoda, Goodell said finding a balance is the most important factor to eating healthy—and eating fresh produce too.
“The best advice is to eat what’s fresh,” Goodell said. “It’s summer, so go to your local farmers market. You can’t beat it when it’s that fresh and good.”
