Rebuilding the Food Pyramid; Eating to Live; Special Editions; by Walter C. Willett and Meir J. Stampfer; 10 Page(s)

In 2005 the U.S. Department of Agriculture officially released its newest Food Guide Pyramid, which was intended to help the American public make dietary choices that would maintain good health and reduce the risk of chronic disease. The new pyramid attempts to provide individualized advice based on a person's age, gender and level of physical activity. It focuses on the consumption of grains, meat and beans, milk, vegetables, fruit, and oils.

The 2005 pyramid replaced a 1992 USDA pyramid that differed from it in several respects. The new pyramid provides more emphasis on whole grains and physical activity. It does not, however, solve all the problems associated with its predecessor, because it still places too much emphasis on grains and milk and does not sufficiently emphasize the adverse effects of some types of fat. Unlike the old pyramid's graphic representation, which showed the proportions of various foods that should be consumed as stacked layers of different sizes, the 2005 pyramid conveys no information about nutrition; it simply shows a figure ascending a rainbow-colored staircase.