It's a good visual aid if you don't where to start with healthy eating. Could be summed up as..... eat plenty of fruit, veg and grains, eat everything else in moderation and sugary/fatty foods sparingly. That advice hasn't changed fundamentally for about 60 years.
I agree, the only differences I've noted are the higher suggestions for oils, which I think is refreshing and the lack of a serving guide which should be liberatng but... I'm pretty strict. That's how I work.
did you know that the food pyramid was designed by a team employed by the agriculture and grain board? thats why bread is so highly reccommended.
Bread is not good for you!
I was thinking about this today actually, as I eat lots of yogurt and wondered where dairy was placed in the pyramid. Slightly surprised that it was second row down from the top? Moderation I suppose.
Original Post by gg80:
did you know that the food pyramid was designed by a team employed by the agriculture and grain board? thats why bread is so highly reccommended.
Bread is not good for you!
Whole GRAIN bread is...
Original Post by gg80:
did you know that the food pyramid was designed by a team employed by the agriculture and grain board? thats why bread is so highly reccommended.
Bread is not good for you!
Says who?
I don't agree with the dairy end. I don't find it to be a necessity at all. I can get my nutrients elsewhere. I am just a milk-hater though. :P
Original Post by gi-jane:
That advice hasn't changed fundamentally for about 60 years.
And yet our health has continuously declined over that time...
Original Post by floggingsully:
Original Post by gi-jane:
That advice hasn't changed fundamentally for about 60 years.
And yet our health has continuously declined over that time...
In large part because of a number of other factors including decreased physical activity, increased reliance on convenience foods, and a lack of understanding of appropriate portion sizes ....
Most just don't know portion sizes and/or don't follow them. LIKE MYSELF!
(And yet our health has continuously declined over that time.) It's not the pyramid.. its Because of Fast food. And the choices that we make. Some people don't like bread-- yet they are still fat. There are plenty of vegetarians who are obese. Because they eat junk food.
WHO HOLDS THE SPOON? LMAO 
Original Post by floggingsully:
And yet our health has continuously declined over that time...
Yes, because many people invert the pyramid!!! 
Fatty, sugary, starchy food is their staple diet and fruit and veggies only make a rare appearance on special occasions. Add that to a lifestyle where 'exercise' means walking from the house to the car and you've got lots of unhealthy people.
Original Post by gi-jane:Yes, because many people invert the pyramid!!!
If you inverted the pyramid people would eat pretty much (within a serving) the same amount of fruit/veggies/dairy/meat but the vast majority of sugary/starchy food would be at the top and people would eat very little of it. Diets high in fat have also been shown to improve a whole host of health markers when comparied to a high carb diet.
The idea pushed by the food pyramid that people need to base their diet around refined/processed grains (which there is no biological need to eat at all) is rediculous.
I know that I love my bread and pasta regardless of where it is on the pyramid!
And I know that if it fits into my calorie limits and I want it Im going to eat it! 
The food pyramid also states to eat more -Whole grains than the refined..and it states that the recomended amounts are for people who exercise 30 minutes a day. Most don't chose the whole grain and most don't exercise on a regular basis.
Original Post by gg80:
did you know that the food pyramid was designed by a team employed by the agriculture and grain board? thats why bread is so highly reccommended.
Bread is not good for you!
What's wrong with bread? I eat plenty of whole wheat bread and whole wheat pasta. As long as you stay away from white flour and white sugar, what's the big deal?
Some people prefer the food pyramid from the Harvard School of Public Health as it distinguishes between whole grains & refined grains.
Healthy Eating Pyramid from Harvard School of Public Health
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/w hat-should-you-eat/pyramid/index.html
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/i mages/HealthyEatingPyramid-low-res.jpg
The Harvard Pyramid also scores highly because it is based on science rather than the agro-industrial food lobby.
Original Post by floggingsully:
Original Post by gi-jane:Yes, because many people invert the pyramid!!!
If you inverted the pyramid people would eat pretty much (within a serving) the same amount of fruit/veggies/dairy/meat but the vast majority of sugary/starchy food would be at the top and people would eat very little of it. Diets high in fat have also been shown to improve a whole host of health markers when comparied to a high carb diet.
The idea pushed by the food pyramid that people need to base their diet around refined/processed grains (which there is no biological need to eat at all) is rediculous.
Doesn't the food pyramid state that the majority of the breads should be whole grain? That's what I remember from looking into it several months ago.
I think the failure is that a lot of people don't really bother to read the details of the pyramid, such as what a serving size is, or that certain foods qualify as a meat AND a fat, etc. And that's among the few that bother.
Original Post by calisue:
Some people prefer the food pyramid from the Harvard School of Public Health as it distinguishes between whole grains & refined grains.
Healthy Eating Pyramid from Harvard School of Public Health
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/w hat-should-you-eat/pyramid/index.html
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/i mages/HealthyEatingPyramid-low-res.jpg
This is actually what I was referring to... I wasn't aware there was more than one called the same thing. This one actually seems to recommend much less bread (and specifically wholegrain) than the traditional ones, and I was thinking of reducing my intake. I never eat refined carbohydrates or sugar but the amount of wholegrains recommended was also ridiculous. I eat much more vegetables than bread.
And I agree that most of the people eating unhealthily have probably never seen any sort of pyramid, combined with a decline in exercise and intake of junk food... it's digusting. Even as a child (well, I still am) I knew the right way to eat, it's just not that blooming hard, and junk food is really not enticing in the least to me.
Anyway, I was looking into the benefits of a diet high in 'good' fats. As something the fad diets haven't touched, to my knowledge ("eww, fat is fattening, duh") I'm fairly sure it would work.
Original Post by trikki:
Original Post by gg80:
did you know that the food pyramid was designed by a team employed by the agriculture and grain board? thats why bread is so highly reccommended.
Bread is not good for you!
Says who?
Says the scientific community who study 'Lectins' - a highly toxic natural substance found in wheat.
Lectins are found in ALL foods, certain foods more than others, and the same food may contain varying amounts of lectins depending on processing, when and where the plant was grown, and species.
The most common potentially 'toxic' lectin containing food groups are
grains, especially wheat and wheat germ but also quinoa, rice, buckwheat, oats, rye, barley, millet and corn. legumes (all dried beans, including soy and peanuts), dairy (perhaps more so when cows are feed grains instead of grass, a speculation based on research showing transference of lectins into breast milk and dairy and potentially more harmful in pasteurized, processed milk because of the reduction of SIgA, an immunoglobulin that binds dangerous lectins , Biol Neonate 1991;59(3):121-5 Davin JC et al The high lectin-binding capacity of human secretory IgA protects nonspecifically mucosae against environmental antigens.), NOTE: Only breast milk is good for babies.
nightshade (includes potato, tomato, eggplant and pepper).
Lectins are hardy proteins that do not break down easily. They are resistant to stomach acid and digestive enzymes.
Lectins may bind to the gut wall and damage the gut lining, are not altered by digestive enzymes, and may alter gut permeability and pass through the gut into general circulation.
Lectins can cause alterations in gut function that may be related to colitis, Crohn's Disease, Celiac-Sprue, IBS and gut permeability.
Lectin damage to the gut wall may allow other non-lectin proteins to cross undigested into general circulation and cause allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis.
Having gained access to general circulation various lectins may bind to surface cell membranes in arteries and vessels, organs and glands, including the thyroid, pancreas, kidney and adrenals, in susceptible animals and humans.
This binding may begin antigen antibody reactions leading to autoimmune disorders and so-called degenerative diseases.
Different lectins have been implicated in different diseases. Dairy lectins have been implicated in juvenile onset type I diabetes. Wheat lectins have been implicated in juvenile nephropathy.
Most persons are aware that there are certain foods they seem to 'react' to. Symptoms could be obvious, such as gas, bloating, diarrhea or constipation (or both, alternating). Less obvious symptoms may include headache, fatigue, 'indigestion', skin problems including hives, psoriasis, swollen joints or water retention. While some symptoms while resolve quickly after eliminating an offending family other symptoms may take 6-12 months. Be patient. If you are genetically intolerant you will never be able to consume that group of foods safely.
"Says the scientific community who study 'Lectins' - a highly toxic natural substance found in wheat."
Harumph! Lectins are studied by the scientific community. Lectins are natural. Lectins are found in wheat, and legumes, and all plant life, and invertebrates, and mammals (that includes us, of course). Lectins seem to be an essential part of our immune system. A few lectins are toxic (e.g. ricin, an extract from seeds of the castor tree and the very first lectin to be discovered back in the C19). Foods with high concentrations of lectins (beans, grains, seeds, nuts, etc.) may be harmful (i.e. perhaps, possibly, ...) if consumed in excess - like Big Macs or mushrooms (especially Amanita phalloides 
).
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