- Charissa Lim, RDN, Charissa Lim is a dietician who works primarily with women to help them eat well without the construct of a diet.
The food pyramid has long been a source of fluctuating guidance around how the USDA and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) suggest the American public eat. You remember the food pyramid right? The inescapable guideline that followed you around school hallways, restaurants, books, and more. This omnipresent chart has had a long history, and though it’s been a stepping stone for helping people understand nutrition, experts believe there’s still a lot of work to be done.
How does the food pyramid actually work?
The Food Pyramid was officially introduced in 1992 by the USDA. The original version, the one you most likely remember (mostly because it was plastered everywhere), listed foods as follows: Grains on bottom, fruits and vegetables next, then meats, and at the *very* top were fats, sweets, and oils. This composition was adapted from guidelines from Sweden’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), which had been around since the 1970s. Previously, the USDA had made the Basic 7 food guide—released in 1943—which was advice for eating while rationing during World War II.
The nutritional advice was generally that Americans should consume 11 servings daily of complex carbohydrates, which could come from bread, rice, grains, and more. They also advocated for two servings a day of protein, which included both animal and plant-based proteins, like nuts and beans. Finally, a limited amount of fats, oils, and sugars were to be incorporated into daily eating plans. This, laid out by size in the pyramid, gave Americans a basic, if flawed, understanding of the ratio of meat to vegetables to grains they should be consuming.
In 2005, the pyramid got a makeover. This revamp added physical activity components, but kept the emphasis on grains and dairy. 2005’s re-do illustrated a person climbing a technicolor staircase atop the pyramid, which was supposed to indicate adding fitness.
The chart also flipped the portioning of the pyramid from horizontal to vertical with five categories—grains, vegetables, fruit, milk, and meat and beans—which made gleaning any nutritional advice difficult, as it was hard to tell what the actual suggested daily amounts were. Fats and oils were also illustrated in this version, but were sandwiched between milk and meat, and unlisted (only illustrated).
What are the problems with the food pyramid?
Charissa Lim, a registered dietician and nutrition coach, states that most nutritionists historically find the pyramid and other governmental nutrition suggestions to be outdated and not useful. “There are a few shortcomings, like how it doesn’t show any portion sizes or what your average plate will look like,” she says. “It just wasn't as effective as they thought.”
Another pitfall was the daily value percentages suggested. The 30 percent fat ‘limit’ was created randomly. Guidance first came from The Surgeon General Report in 1979, but in 2015 the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) walked back decades of fat-focus in a statement saying that they were dropping cholesterol as a nutrient of concern. There have been no studies that link the 30 percent suggestion to any health benefit (or detriment), but parallels are drawn from the general “Western diet” that demonstrates high rates of both saturated fat intake and coronary heart disease. Even the American Heart Association still suggests 30 percent max fat consumption for daily eating habits.
There’s also not much evidence to support the original 1992 advice of high carbohydrate intake, either. Studies show that even with complex carbohydrates, decreased insulin resistance, and an increase in triglycerides—the makeup of fat molecules—in the body was a more likely outcome in a high-carb diet. Especially coupled with the suggestion of eliminating most fats and oils from the diet, the unbalanced effect proved to reduce low-density-lipoprotein (LDL) or “bad” cholesterol, but also decreased high-density lipoprotein (HDL) or “good” cholesterol. This means that the ratio of LDL and HDL didn’t change much in a high-carbohydrate diet, so the risk of heart disease remained the same.
On the tails of the high-carb, low-fat advice of the 90s came the boom of “low-fat” snacks as food producers attempted to capitalize on the growing nutrition advice. From fat-free chips, to low-fat sweets, to fat-free cookies, the focus shifted from limiting fat to doing everything to eliminate it from the American diet. (I don’t think I could ever erase the chemical taste of a SnackWells Devil’s Food Cookie Cakes from my memory, even if I tried.)
To create flavor in those low-fat snacks, however, these products relied on the extra additions of sweeteners (like corn syrup) and salt, which took products from just being a low-fat option to adding a lot of unnecessary, and unexpected, stuff to the average daily value consumed. And though neither corn syrup nor salt are inherently bad in moderation, marketing these low-fat products as “healthy” was a predatory move that was facilitated by some nutritional guidelines.
Essentially, the attempt to over-simplify nutritional needs ended up misleading Americans into making food choices that weren’t much better than if they had just gone without any guidance.
Replacing the food pyramid
In 2011, the food pyramid was replaced with something a little more well-rounded: A plate. Known as MyPlate, the new guidance features a plate segmented into four parts: Grains, protein, vegetables, and fruits. Off to the side is a separate component that suggests adding dairy and fortified soy-alternatives. (It *is* important to note here that the government has subsidies, or assisted loans, for both the American soybean and dairy industries.)
This interactive chart lets you click into each section, and has information from “How Much Do You Need,” to “Nutrients and Health Benefits,” giving a more comprehensive and well-rounded view of what nutrition can look like for an individual meal plan. The USDA-backed website also cheekily states the original food pyramid was made “before the internet.”
Removed are the physical fitness components that had been added to the 2005 version, and there is no longer guidance on fats and oil consumption.
Should you use the current food pyramid?
There are almost 335 million people living in America according to current census data. Creating a wealth of nutritional guidance that would suit every single body is pretty impossible.
“The majority of RDs, such as myself, now use MyPlate,” says Lim. “It’s way more simple to communicate and teach the population and is more flexible with which nutrients and food types that a person can choose on their plate to tailor it more to personal needs.”
If you’re just getting started in your journey to improve your nutritional balance, Lim says MyPlate is a great starting point, but to truly get tailored nutrition and fitness advice, it’s best to speak to your doctor, or find a nutritionist that will work with your budget and needs.
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