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Food and Activity Guide Pyramid

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has updated the food and activity guide pyramid to stress the importance of how healthy eating and regular exercise play a role in total wellness.

Key Pyramid Messages

• Eat a variety of foods
  A balanced diet is one that includes all the food groups. In the new food guide pyramid, the food groups are represented by color:
  • orange - grains
  • green - vegetables
  • red - fruits
  • blue - milk and dairy products
  • purple - meat, beans, fish, and nuts
  • yellow - oils
  
  
  
• Eat less of some foods, and more of others
  The bands for meat and protein (purple) and oils (yellow) are narrower than the others. That's because you need less of those kinds of foods than you do of fruits, vegetables, grains, and dairy foods. You also can see the bands start out wider and get thinner as they approach the top. That's designed to show you that not all foods are created equal, even within a healthy food group like fruit. For instance, apple pie might be in that thin part of the fruit band because it has a lot of added sugar and fat. A whole apple would be down in the wide part because you can eat more of those within a healthy diet.
  
  
• Include regular physical activity
  • Physical activity simply means movement of the body that uses energy. Walking, gardening, briskly pushing a baby stroller, climbing the stairs, playing soccer, or dancing the night away are all good examples of being active. For health benefits, physical activity should be moderate or vigorous and add up to at least 30 minutes a day.
    
    
• Make it personal
  Through the USDA's website, you can personalize the recommendations to understand the amount and mix of foods you need to eat.