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