MyPyramid: The 2005 Food Pyramid

The government has replaced the twenty-year-old Food Guide Pyramid with a sleek, bright-colored new design called MyPyramid. The Pyramid can be personalized online, and officials hope that the interactive update will spur Americans to eat better and exercise more.

The new Pyramid has a rainbow of six different colors. Each one represents a food group. Orange is for grains, green is for vegetables, red is for fruits, yellow is for oils, blue is for milk products and the purple stripe is for meats and beans.

The color strips are wider for grains, vegetables, milk products and fruits to encourage you to eat more of them.

In addition, the new Pyramid has a figure climbing stairs along one side, emphasizing the importance of physical activity as part of a healthy lifestyle.

MyPyramid for Kids, for children six to 11 years old, is also available.

To tap the interactive features of the new design, visit the official Pyramid website at www.mypyramid.gov. There you can get personalized nutrition recommendations based on your age, sex and activity level.

The Pyramid is based on the recommendations in the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which were released in January. See our helpful handbook on incorporating the healthy lessons of the Guidelines into your daily life.