New Dietary Guidelines and MyPyramid: Implementing Steps for a Healthier You!

Dietary guidance, as indicated by its extensive history, has long been a mainstay in efforts to ensure and improve public health. This guidance has been evolutionary in nature, as more has been learned about the science of health and nutrition over the years and has taken many forms through the years. Advice in the form of “food guides” dates all the way back to 1894 with what Dr. W.O. Atwater described as “diets suggested for the American male based on content of protein, carbohydrate, fat, and “mineral matter.” Subsequent iterations of food guides over the years include the “Basic 4” and the “Hassle-Free Food Guide.” Perhaps the most recognizable of all the food guides, the Food Guide Pyramid, was released in 1992. In 2005, the Food Guide Pyramid was due to be revised, on the basis of the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which was released in January 2005. The Food Guide Pyramid revision came at a time when food guidance was being examined for its ability to stem the increase in obesity and motivate consumers to eat more healthfully and control their weight. In fact, however, although a 2004 Ipsos survey found that most consumers had heard of the Food Guide Pyramid, relatively few said that they had tried to adhere to the recommendations. In actuality, less than 1 percent of consumers had food intake patterns that actually reflected the recommendations outlined in the Food Guide Pyramid. Enter MyPyramid