| The Food Guide Pyramid is one manner for | | | | topics this new symbol is trying to pass on: |
| Americans to read how to eat healthy. A | | | | |
| rainbow of colored, vertical stripes stands | | | | A person should eat a wide variety of foods. |
| for the five food groups plus fats and oils. | | | | A balanced diet is one that makes use of all |
| Here is what the colors stand for:orange = | | | | the food groups. From another perspective, |
| grains green = vegetables red = fruits | | | | have foods from every color, every day. |
| yellow = fats and oils blue = milk and dairy | | | | |
| products purple = meat, beans, fish, and | | | | We should eat less of some foods, and extra |
| nuts | | | | of others. You can see that the bands for |
| | | | meat and protein are purple and oils are |
| The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) | | | | yellow and less pronounced than the other |
| modified the pyramid in spring 2005 because | | | | ones. The reason is because you need less of |
| they wanted to do a more enhanced job of | | | | those varieties of foods than your need of |
| narrating to Americans how to be healthy. The | | | | fruits, vegetables, grains, and dairy foods. |
| agency later released a special variation for | | | | |
| children. On this website you will observe a | | | | Your family also can see the bands start out |
| girl ascending the staircase up the side of | | | | fatter and get skinnier as they approach the |
| the pyramid. That is an example of showing | | | | top side. That is designed to show you that |
| kids how important it is to exercise and be | | | | not all foods are made as good as others, |
| active every day. From another perspective, | | | | even within a fit food group like fruit. |
| play a lot! The stairs are also a way of | | | | Sometimes, apple pie might be in that thin |
| showing that you can make changes in stages | | | | section of the fruit band because it has a |
| to be more healthy. One step at a time, | | | | lot of added sugar and fat. A whole apple |
| understand? | | | | would be turn up in the broad part for you |
| | | | can eat more of those in a fit eating |
| The Pyramid Speaks to us in several ways. Let | | | | regimen. |
| us all confront a few of the additional | | | | |