At some point, you've seen the food pyramid. Whether it was in a nutrition class or on the wall of your elementary school cafeteria, you likely remember the building blocks of the pyramid suggesting what your daily diet should look like. For years, this shape has ruled over our eating habits: guiding food labels, school lunch programs and diet plans. But today, Americans are more overweight than ever, which tends to suggest that the old food pyramid wasn't very useful, or even followed. So, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has given the old food pyramid an overhaul, creating MyPyramid, a personalized tool to give Americans a new way to organize their daily eating and exercising habits.
"It has all the elements that are essential to motivate people to make some steps toward healthy food and exercise choices," says Nelda Mercer, MS, RD, spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association, "There's something for everyone, for people who are overweight and even for those people already making healthy choices."
Not all body types need the same nutrition and the USDA's MyPyramid plan acknowledges that some people just need more food, while others need less. And options need to be provided for those with dietary restrictions, or simply a picky palate. The online guide ( www.MyPyramid.gov ) will allow you to adjust the pyramid to your own lifestyle.
Copyright 2009 NBC Health
Click here to read the rest of the article at HealthVideo.com
