The food pyramid has a new look! Find out more about how you can tailor the pyramid to incorporate healthier eating habits into each of your family member's lives, including yourself.

The US Department of Agriculture released its own sequel: the new federal government food pyramid, called "MyPyramid." This updated eating guidelines system was designed to replace and improve upon the previous food pyramid, also sponsored by the USDA. Let's take a look at the new food pyramid and how it can help families concerned about nutrition.

Upon first glance, the new food pyramid might be hard to fathom. It consists of a pyramid-shaped graphic, divided into six vertical colored stripes. On the left side of the pyramid, a stick figure climbs a staircase. According to the website, this is just one of a possible twelve versions of the updated pyramid—touted as an "interactive food guidance system." So what does this new graphic mean to us—and how can we use it in our strategies for healthy eating?

Building Blocks of the New Pyramid

First let's look at what the various components of the pyramid represent. The staircase and climber, a new addition to the pyramid, were designed to remind viewers of the importance of exercise. As with the last pyramid, the different slices of the pyramid represent different food groups. In this version, however, the widths of the slices indicate the relative proportions of foods from different food groups; thus, some of the color bands—such as those for oils and proteins—are thinner than the others, indicating you need less of these foods than you do of vegetables, fruits, grains, and dairy. Additionally, the bands are wider at the bottom and thinner at the top to remind us that not all foods are equally as nutritious even in a "healthy" food group such as fruits or vegetables.

Here are the food groups and representing colors:

• Orange = grains
• Green = vegetables
• Red = fruits
• Light blue = milk and dairy
• Purple = meat and beans
• Yellow = oils

You can use the website to translate this symbolism into more precise recommendations on the quantities of each food group the USDA believes you should consume by entering your age, gender, and approximate daily level of physical activity. The website then lists the weights and volumes you should consume for each food group. It is this ability to customize the pyramid that accounts for the claim that there are in fact twelve different versions of the pyramid.

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• The Guide to Healthy Eating

• Ask a Nutrition

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