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‘My Personal Food Pyramid’

The new government guidelines are interactive and easy to use

Imagine sitting at your computer and finding daily diet and exercise guidelines designed just for you.It’s not a dream—it’s the USDA’s MyPyramid Food Guidance System.

This new Web-based program is a major departure from the food pyramid you grew up with. It encourages eating a variety of foods, and tosses out the former “bread, cereal, rice and pasta” category in favor of healthy whole grains. Recognizing that physical activity is just as vital as diet, it includes the fitness factor. And it’s fun to use because it’s:

Personalized — “Unlike the former one-size-fits-all approach, the new pyramid is based on your individual age, gender and activity level,” says registered dietitian Donna Smith of Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network.

Interactive — Type in what you eat and how you exercise, and a built-in tracker analyzes the information, helping you keep tabs on your diet and physical activity.

Specific — Instead of vague ranges, the new pyramid gives you exact numbers and sizes of food servings, and helpful tips on how to burn more calories.

Practical — You’ll find lots of everyday ideas on how to work more fruits, vegetables, grains and other wholesome ingredients into your meals. A few examples: Shred carrots or zucchini into meatloaf, casseroles and quick breads; add crushed pineapple to coleslaw; or enhance a tossed salad with mandarin oranges, walnuts or pecans.

“The new system is easy to use, too,” Smith says. “All you have to do is register with a user name and password.” To show you how it works, Smith helped two local people navigate the new pyramid.

Li-Ping Chew

This 19-year-old Lehigh University student doesn’t need to lose weight, and she’s very physically active—a typical day includes intense rowing and weight-lifting workouts. But when she plugged in a day’s food intake, she found her diet (on that day, at least) needed work. “The MyPyramid tracker showed us that Li-Ping didn’t eat enough vegetables, fruit, milk, or meat and beans,” Smith says. “She also got more saturated fat and sodium than is recommended.”

See Chew’s one-day menu below, with simple changes from Donna Smith (indicated by *). With the changes, Chew got better marks from MyPyramid, and she normally eats a better-balanced diet than on her sample day. But the experience still taught her some important lessons. “Donna showed me how to work all the food groups into my diet very subtly,” she says. “For example, I can add beans and cheese to all-vegetable salads to get the protein and dairy I need.”

Li-Ping Chew’s Menu Makeover

Breakfast

1 cup Wheaties
1/2 cup Lucky Charms
1 cup skim milk
1 orange
* Boost protein: Add 1 scrambled egg

Lunch

1/2 cup baby carrots
1 cup grape tomatoes
1/2 sandwich (1 piece whole-wheat bread, 2 leaves romaine, 2 slices meat)
1 apple
2 servings cheese crackers
* Reduce salt: Change to low-sodium cheese crackers

Dinner

2 cups noodles
3 meatballs
3 cookies
2 slices pizza
* Reduce fat: Change to 1 slice pizza
* Add fruit and dairy: 1 banana and 6 ounces low-fat fruit yogurt
* Add veggies: Salad of romaine, cucumber, garbanzos, feta cheese

Ron Kern

Kern, 67, is a moderately active Macungie resident with a history of heart disease. MyPyramid revealed that on a typical day he got enough fruit and more than enough meat, but fell short in whole grains, vegetables and low-fat dairy. Smith filled in those gaps but trimmed his meat intake, concerned that Kern would otherwise be taking in too many calories. “On the plus side,” she says, “his typical day included a 65-minute brisk walk.”

The changes Smith made in Kern’s menu (see below) were feasible, he says, and he can fit them into his daily meal planning without any trouble. He’s pleased that he can eat a healthier diet and still enjoy small pleasures like light beer.

Ron Kern’s Menu Makeover

Breakfast

8 ounces orange juice
2-3 cups decaffeinated coffee
8 ounces cereal (a mix of low-fat, high-fiber brands)
* Add grains: Change to 10 ounces cereal and add 1 whole-wheat English muffin
* Add dairy: 8 ounces low-fat milk

Lunch

1 apple
1/2 tuna salad sandwich on rye
* Add grains: Whole, not half, sandwich
* Reduce meat and fat: Change from 6 to 3 ounces tuna, light mayo only
* Add veggies: 1 cup tossed salad and 2 slices lettuce on sandwich

Dinner

8 ounces roast chicken
1/2 cucumber
4 ounces asparagus
* Reduce meat and fat: Change to 4 ounces chicken
* Add veggies: 6 ounces asparagus
* Add grains: 3/4 cup wild rice

Snack/Dessert