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Show V Aug. Fats, Oils, & I Sweets ojA O USE SPARINGLY oS ooo oo 7 Milk, Yogurt, &Cheese 2-- 3 o L- ...ijg Vegetable Group n added sugars - O O (added) in foods. Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans, Eggs, & Nuts Group 2-- ,Qn 3 SERVINGS g I I o ruit o Group S& J( SERVINGS O I n - CfcoV: oS- 0 Sugars These symbols show fats, oils, and .. oJoV SERVINGS .;:, 3-- 5 Qcz 21 key V ooy o o o pop Hilltop Times Fat (naturally occurring and added) o o oo n 27, 1992 SERVINGS , v y o O Bread, Cereal, Rice, & Pasta Group Q 6-- 11 SERVINGS daily food choices Pyramid by Rudi Williams American Forces Information Service In trying to keep Americans healthy, the Depart- ment of Agriculture went from a circular food guide in 1946, to a "basic four" guide in the 1950s, to a food wheel in 1984. Now, to lead Americans down the path of food righteousness, agriculture nutrition experts have a pyramid. come up with another geometric figure will help Americans understand more about the foods they need, from what groups and in what amounts," said Edward R. Madi-ga- "At a glance, the pyramid n, secretary of agriculture. "For example, the pyramid clearly shows that fats, oils and sweets should be eaten sparingly." Dick Thaxton, an Agriculture Department spokese pyramid represents ongoman, said the areas and trends in nutrition in research the ing Americans' eating habits. He said the trend is toward more breads, cereals, rice, pasta and vegetables with less milk, cheese and eggs. "We're aiming this at all Americans, but we hope it will help people on limited incomes eat more nutritious food and also stretch their food dollar," Thaxton said. "For those in the upper economic segment, we hope it will provide them information as to how to best select food that's good for them instead of food they just want." The pyramid recommends six to 11 daily servings of breads, cereals, rice and pasta; three to five servings of vegetables; two to four servings of fruits; two to three servings of milk, yogurt and cheese; and two to three servings of meats, poultry, fish, dry beans and peas, eggs and nuts. "All foods are important to a balanced diet," said Madigan. "If the pyramid recommends fewer servings of one type of food than another, that doesn't mean one food is less important than another. All foods provide important nutrients. The trick is making lower-fa- t choices." Madigan said the new graphic shows the three essential elements of a healthy diet: proportion, moderation and variety. Agriculture officials define choose proportion as the relative amount of food tocalls for from each major food group. Moderation and oils Variety sugars. Americans to eat less fats, a selection of of eating the importance emphasizes different foods from each of the major food groups every day. The department tested a group of 3,017 white, . food-guid- food-guid- m X (3 w WJ V' ' ;i(V ''i;' ;:''--, 'V omia... ) la opt mill 9 o more ap j e and Hispanic children and adults from all income ranges before adopting the pyramid. Researchers involved consumer interest groups, school teachers and food industry representatives. They also tested 415 graphic designs pie charts, shopping carts, bowls and pyramids, before choosing the pyramid. among them The pyramid reflects advice set forth in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, a joint publication of the Agriculture and Health and Human Services departments. This represents the federal government's official advise on how to achieve a healthy diet. More than 5,000 educational packages are being distributed through USDA's nutrition program directors nationwide. They will also be distributed to schools, "health and consumer groups and at Women, Infants and Children, or WIC, clinics. Reflecting on his school days, Thaxton said, "We African-America- n half-circle- s, grew up seeing the food chart in school lunchrooms. So we hope the food guide will have a positive influence on children's dietary selections. "We'll be working with the DOD to distribute the food guide pyramid to Department of Defense Dependents Schools overseas," he said. "DOD represents a broad segment of American society and just like every other section of society, we want to make sure they're eating right, too." Shirley Griggs, DODDS health coordinator, said information about the new food guide pyramid has been sent to schools worldwide. "We'll be sending out more information later and the pyramid will be included in our new health guide that's due out around October," she said. "We have sections of nutrition at every grade level K through 12. We're trying to teach students to develop good eating habits by providing them information for balanced diets." . |