HEALTHY EATING PYRAMID

The healthy eating pyramid is a nutrition guide developed by the Harvard School of Public Health, suggesting how much of each food category one should eat each day. The healthy eating pyramid is intended to provide a better eating guide than the widespread food guide pyramid created by the USDA.
The new pyramid aims to include the most current research in dietary health not present in the USDA's 1992 guide. The original USDA pyramid has been criticized for not differentiating between refined grains and whole grains, between saturated fats and unsaturated fats, and for not putting enough emphasis on exercise and weight control. It also had been developed by the Department of Agriculture, not the Department of Health and Human Services, so has been alleged to be influenced by lobbyists working for the agriculture, meat and dairy industries. This accusation is somewhat substantiated by the often larger portions in USDA recommendations relative to World Health Organization and NHS recommendations.

Food groups

In general terms, the healthy eating pyramid recommends the following intake of different food groups each day, although exact amounts of calorie intake depends on sex, age, and lifestyle:
Daily exercise and weight control
At most meals, whole grain foods including oatmeal, whole-wheat bread, and brown rice;1 piece or 4 oz.
Plant oils, including olive oil, canola oil, soybean oil, corn oil, and sunflower seed oil; 2 oz. per day
Vegetables, in abundance 3 or more each day. Each serv. 6 oz.
2-3 servings of fruits; Ea. serv. = 1 piece of fruit or 4 oz.
1-3 servings of nuts, or legumes; Ea. serv. = 2 oz.
1-2 servings of dairy or calcium supplement; Ea serv. = 8 oz. non fat or 4 oz. of whole.
1-2 servings of poultry, fish, or eggs; Ea. serv = 4 oz or 1 egg.
Sparing use of white rice, white bread, potatoes, pasta and sweets;
Sparing use of red meat and butter.