Limber up your fingers, swab your computer screen and grab a cup of your favorite low-cal beverage. The government has just handed you the blueprints for your own detailed food pyramid, but you’ll need Web access to build it.
Based on the 2005 Dietary Guidelines jointly issued in January by the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department Agriculture, the new pyramid makes it possible for you to personalize food advice to your age, gender and activity level and to decide whether to maintain your current weight or reach a healthier one.
That it’s almost entirely a creature of the Internet has drawn criticism from some nutrition experts as well as consumer and industry groups. They complain that some of the people who need the information most are not computer- savvy and don’t have Net access.
“People need very clear advice without having to log on to the Web,” said Margo Wootan of the consumer advocacy group Center for Science in the Public Interest. Nevertheless, the new pyramid puts into practice what are widely believed to be the best dietary guidelines issued by the government.
Here’s what the new pyramid offers along with some tips on how to use it:
Scalemypyramid.gov first (www.mypyramid.gov).
Click on “My Pyramid Plan.” Enter your age, gender and physical activity level. (No judgments are made, and the info isn’t stored.) It tells you how many servings of each food group you need to eat daily to meet the guidelines – information that the previous pyramid required you to figure out on your own.
A sedentary man, 45, is advised to eat 2,200 calories daily, which should come from 7 ounces of grains, three cups of vegetables, two cups of fruit, three cups of milk, six teaspoons of healthy oil (margarine, olive oil, nuts, avocados) and 6 ounces of protein, (lean meat, poultry without the skin, fish, peanut butter, eggs, meat substitutes or beans.)
Dig deep. You’ll find many nuggets, including MyPyramid Worksheet, a blank form that lists your daily food goals.
Print it out and carry it as a reference to record food. It also includes tips for making wise choices, and a way to rate how well you did and set future goals.
Take the stairs. Use your cursor and click “Inside the Pyramid” to explore the staircase on the side of the pyramid – a reminder to boost physical activity. It gives the basic goals of 30 minutes of moderate activity daily for adults; 60 minutes for kids. You’ll also find a brief list of moderate and vigorous activities and discover how many calories are burned doing various activities.
At a companion site, www.MyPyramidTracker.gov, log your physical activity for up to a year. (More on that below.)
Color your plate. If you have patience and are willing to use your mouse, there’s a wealth of information.
“Inside the Pyramid,” click on each stripe – orange for grains; green for vegetables; red for fruit; yellow for healthy oils; blue for milk; purple for lean meat, poultry, seafood, beans and eggs – to see healthy examples of each food group. There are also simple tips, such as “Go low-fat or fat-free” with milk and “If you don’t or can’t consume milk, choose lactose-free products or other calcium sources.”
Check out the “Learn More” buttons. They provide a lot of answers. Common measurements – cups, ounces and teaspoons – are now used instead of the former generic “servings,” which drew frequent complaints on the old pyramid. But unless you’re a registered dietitian – or a regular reader of the Lean Plate Club – an ounce of grains equaling a slice of bread may not immediately register. That’s where the “Learn More” buttons come in handy and where you’ll find answers to such as questions as, “What’s a cup of vegetables?” Answer: One cup of raw or cooked vegetables or vegetable juice, or two cups of raw leafy greens.
Keep records. Mypyramidtracker.gov replaces the clunky Interactive Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Index. The new site is fast, records up to a year’s worth of food and exercise records and graphs them against the dietary guidelines. No registration is required to check it out. You can use it to improve your eating and exercise habits, maintain your weight or guide you in reaching a healthier weight. Records are password protected and accessible any place there’s Web access.
The Lean Plate Club by Sally Squires is devoted to healthful eating and boosting activity. For a free e-newsletter, visit www.washingtonpost.com/leanplateclub.
