Why did they change the food pyramid?
More than a decade ago, the U.S. Department of Agriculture created a powerful and enduring icon – the Food Guide Pyramid. This simple illustration conveyed in a flash what the USDA SAID were the elements of a healthy diet. The Pyramid was taught in schools, appeared in countless media articles and brochures, and was plastered on cereal boxes and food labels. Tragically, the information embodied in this pyramid didn’t point the way to healthy eating. Why not? Its blueprint was based on shaky scientific evidence, and it barely changed over the years to reflect major advances in our understanding of the connection between diet and health. With much fanfare, the USDA recently retired the old Food Guide Pyramid and replaced it with MyPyramid, a new symbol and “interactive food guidance system.” The new symbol is basically the old Pyramid turned on its side. The good news is that this dismantles and buries the flawed Pyramid. The bad news is that the new symbol doesn’t convey enough informat
