Diet and Weight Loss Current Topics in Diet and Weight Loss

Stepping Up to the New Food Pyramid

Individualization
The USDA has basically created 12 separate pyramids to cater to people of different ages and activity levels. Just type in your age, gender and activity levels and MyPyramid Tracker will provide you with an eating plan that will keep you healthy and maintain your weight.

"It's designed for you to track what you are eating and how much you are exercising and see where you are according to the recommendations," Mercer says. "It'll come back [to you] with targeted messages, like you're over on fat, or carbs."

For example: if you are a sedentary, 65-year-old male, the MyPyramid plan will recommend that you stick to a 2,000 calorie diet, consisting of 6 ounces of grains (of which 3 ounces should be whole grains), 2.5 cups of vegetables, 2 cups of fruits, 3 cups of milk, and 5.5 ounces of meat and beans. The plan even goes further to divide up the minimum frequency recommended for each type of vegetable: 3 cups a week of dark green veggies, 2 cups a week of orange veggies, 3 cups a week of beans and peas, 3 cups a week of starchy veggies, leaving 6.5 cups for any other vegetables. And this man is also told to limit his sweets and fats to 265 calories a day and have no more than 6 tablespoons of oil.

In contrast, a 23-year-old female who exercises more than 60 minutes a day is given recommendations based on a 2,400 calorie diet. Her dietary plan grants her 8 ounces of grains, to make up for the extra calorie allotment. Additionally, she can eat up to 360 calories of sweets and fats.

Help to Make the Change
The new pyramid takes into account that these changes are not easy. If you are finding it tough to get enough whole grains, for example, the site suggests tossing some unsweetened, whole–grain cereal into a salad instead of croutons or substituting whole–grain pasta and brown rice for their less-healthy counterparts. And if you don't want to consume milk products, recommendations are made for you to eat soy products and leafy greens to be sure you get all the calcium you need. Even vegetarians are acknowledged in these tips, which suggest that they focus on getting enough protein, iron calcium, zinc and vitamin B12–nutrients generally lacking in a vegetarian diet.

No one expects for you to make all these changes overnight. But, the emphasis is on small, gradual changes that will allow you to ease into a healthier lifestyle. Step by step you can slowly regain control over your diet and climb to the top of the food pyramid.

"This is about as good as it can get," Mercer says.

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