USDA To Unveil New Food Pyramid

According to a CNN report, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is planning to swap the pyramid for the plate this week.

The source told CNN that the new image is expected to be unveiled Thursday and is meant to help remind Americans to make healthy food choices.

“We presume that it will be divided into sections that will show you how much of different types of foods you should be eating,” Elizabeth Cohen, CNN senior medical correspondent, about the plate image, said in the report.

The USDA said this week that the new food icon would be “part of a comprehensive nutrition communication initiative that provides consumers with easy-to-understand recommendations, a new website with expanded information, and other tools and resources.”

The Food Guide Pyramid was introduced in 1992 and was then replaced in 2005 by MyPyramid.

“The pyramid, to put it gently, is not considered a great public health success,” Cohen told CNN. “It was confusing and divided into lots of intricate sections.”

The original version of the guide displays grains, vegetables and fruits at the base of the pyramid, suggesting they should be eaten often. Then fats, dairy products and meats were toward the top of the icon.

The 2005 version displayed a figure stepping up the side of the pyramid, reminding consumers of the need to exercise. It also displayed vertical, rather than horizontal, blocks representing various food groups.

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