EDITORIAL – New food pyramid, but no one knows

The food pyramid of yesteryear has been revised. In its place, a new program called “My… The food pyramid of yesteryear has been revised. In its place, a new program called “My Pyramid: Steps to a Healthier You,” was released by the federal government this week. This recent health initiative is a 12-in-one pyramid customized to meet the activity level and caloric needs of every American.

Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns praised the new pyramid for enhancing “the ability of Americans to personalize their approach when choosing a healthier lifestyle.”

Aesthetically speaking, its predecessor has been turned on its side, now featuring a rainbow in which each color connects to a food group and has a stick figure headed up the adjacent staircase to healthy living.

Content-wise, the new pyramid is an effort to condense the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans nutritional manual into a graphic. Also, research has been squeezed in to address consumption patterns and the nutritional content of foods, which can be seen in the recent influx of corn syrup in food products.

Emphasizing moderation, this version also highlights the importance of fruits and vegetables with its suggested six servings of them each day. Most importantly, it specifies physical activity and identifies appropriate serving size, which the 1992 version lacked in its range of recommendations.

With 65 percent of Americans overweight and half of that group obese, the program in itself is a step in the right direction, but there are some concerns. After spending $2.5 million dollars on this elaborate symbol, no budget has been set to promote the Dietary Guidelines or the new pyramid.

The federal government has depended on the food industry and media sources to promote the pyramid and relied on the initiative of the American people to seek out the Food and Drug Administration’s Web site of diagrams and charts.

Although colorful, the symbol really doesn’t encourage Americans to eat healthily if no one sees it. In fact, the graphic could even serve as a deterrent because of its added complexity.

Hopefully, newspapers and Web sites will care before food lobbyists mangle the project to serve their advertising needs.

Or, if parents hear about it, they will enforce healthy living not only at the dinner table but also in their everyday activities. While they are at it, they should also attend PTA meetings and push for adjustments to school cafeteria menus when they are not present to supervise.

The bottom line is that people, as obvious and as cumbersome as it may sound, must take initiative for their physical health. If it means spending hours deciphering a 12-in-one diagram, statistics on obesity show that it’s worth it.

The new, but not necessarily improved, pyramid seems to have left some steps out: steps to awareness of this customizable guide to a healthy lifestyle.