MyPyramid, the centerpiece of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) new food guidance system, was released in April 2005 and represents the most recent nutrition science and knowledge used to educate and motivate consumers to follow a healthful diet and to be physically active. But, the story doesn’t begin there, and history can offer insights into the progress of dietary guidance today.
Evolution of Dietary Guidance
Dietary guidance, as indicated by its extensive history, has long been a mainstay in efforts to ensure and improve public health. This guidance has been evolutionary in nature, as more has been learned about the science of health and nutrition over the years and has taken many forms through the years. Advice in the form of “food guides” dates all the way back to 1894 with what Dr. W.O. Atwater described as “diets suggested for the American male based on content of protein, carbohydrate, fat, and “mineral matter.” Subsequent iterations of food guides over the years include the “Basic 4” and the “Hassle-Free Food Guide.” Perhaps the most recognizable of all the food guides, the Food Guide Pyramid, was released in 1992.
In 2005, the Food Guide Pyramid was due to be revised, on the basis of the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which was released in January 2005. The Food Guide Pyramid revision came at a time when food guidance was being examined for its ability to stem the increase in obesity and motivate consumers to eat more healthfully and control their weight. In fact, however, although a 2004 Ipsos survey found that most consumers had heard of the Food Guide Pyramid, relatively few said that they had tried to adhere to the recommendations. In actuality, less than 1 percent of consumers had food intake patterns that actually reflected the recommendations outlined in the Food Guide Pyramid.
Enter MyPyramid
The new food guidance system, MyPyramid, is revolutionary for a number of reasons. First, it was developed on the basis of the experience of its predecessor, the Food Guide Pyramid, stakeholder input, and extensive consumer testing. Part of the reason for the original Pyramid’s wide recognition, yet poor following, may have been due to its complexity. It was designed to capture all of the dietary recommendations for Americans 2 years old and older, and to represent all the various calorie and nutrient needs of various population groups...all in one graphic! (see sidebar “What’s a ‘food guidance system’ and how is it designed?”)
The new pyramid is part of a system designed to be an interactive nutrition education tool and is intended to help consumers apply personalized dietary guidance to achieve a healthful lifestyle. The MyPyramid icon features vertical bands of color—one for each food group. These bands are wider toward the base of the pyramid to encourage consumers to choose nutrient-dense foods, or those with more nutrients per calorie, more often. The bands become narrow toward the top, indicating moderate intake of less nutrient-dense (high-calorie) foods. The latest addition to the symbol, the figure ascending a staircase, reminds consumers to include physical activity as part of a healthful lifestyle. MyPyramid uses a practical approach to harmonize dietary guidance messages with the 2005 Dietary Guidelines by incorporating the concepts of personalization, gradual improvement, physical activity, variety, moderation, and proportionality. A Web site (MyPyramid.gov), along with printed materials and future initiatives are being used to help consumers make dietary advice relevant and attainable in their busy lives by personalizing it based on their age, gender, and level of physical activity.
It’s Working
Consumer research was the foundation for the development of MyPyramid and its personalized approach. According to a survey conducted by Opinion Dynamics the week after its release, 40 percent of Americans reported seeing MyPyramid. Of those who had seen the new design, 28 percent believed that it is more useful than the previous model and 46 percent believed it is equally as useful as the previous model.
Maximizing Application of Dietary Guidance: Consumer Considerations
To help translate recommendations into behavior, consumers consistently ask for specific actions that they can relate to, individualize, and incorporate into their lives. Research by the Dietary Guidelines Alliance, a public-private partnership whose mission is to provide positive, simple and consistent messages to help consumers achieve healthy, active lifestyles, found that consumers respond favorably to consumer-tested messages consistent with those in MyPyramid. Some effective consumer-tested messages include encouraging consumers to be flexible in balancing food choices with physical activity over several days, to be sensible in enjoying foods without overdoing it, and to be adventurous in choosing a wide variety of foods.
Maximizing Application of Dietary Guidance: Food Supply Considerations
Nutrition science, dietary guidance, and consumer communication comprise only part of the equation in helping consumers achieve a healthful diet. Food technology also plays an important role and will continue to do so as information about public health and nutrition science evolves and this field continues to advance. One of the key areas of growth is product development. Like consumers, food scientists are asked to balance many competing priorities—both in the reformulation of existing products and in the development of new products. Consumers expect foods to stay fresh, as well as deliver taste, value, and convenience. Developing products that fill this bill and that also meet dietary recommendations can be challenging.
Initiating and maintaining an open dialogue between food scientists and nutrition scientists is essential to ensuring that consumers have access to products that help them meet the 2005 Dietary Guidelines. Now and in the future, nutrition professionals, working together with food scientists, can continue to develop “real-life” food science solutions to support and promote health.
Resources for Health Professionals, Journalists, and Consumers
A wealth of interactive resources may be found at: http://www.mypyramid.gov and http://www.cnpp.usda.gov.
For more information on the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, visit: http://www.healthierus.gov/dietaryguidelines.
The International Food Information Council (IFIC) Foundation has prepared and selected resources for health professionals, journalists, and consumers to complement and add context to information surrounding the release of the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and MyPyramid. All of the resources may be used freely, with attribution to the IFIC Foundation. For a list of available resources, visit http://ific.org/foodguidance.cfm.
What’s a “food guidance system” and how is it designed?
Q: What is the “MyPyramid” food guidance system?
A: On April 19, 2005, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) unveiled MyPyramid (MyPyramid.gov), a new symbol and interactive food guidance system. “Steps to a Healthier You,” MyPyramid’s central message is part of an overall food guidance system that emphasizes the need for a more individualized approach to improving diet and lifestyle. MyPyramid replaces the Food Guide Pyramid introduced in 1992.
Historically, “food guides” have been graphic representations of the science-based nutrition recommendations outlined in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The term, “food guidance system,” encompasses a number of tools that can be used to communicate these recommendations, including a graphic, motivational slogan, core education concepts and messages, written materials and interactive tools for personalization. The tools, particularly the graphic, are designed to help Americans make food choices that are adequate for meeting nutritional standards yet that are moderate in energy level (calories) and in food components or nutrients often consumed in excess.
Q: What’s new and different about MyPyramid?
A: While most Americans recognized the previous Food Guide Pyramid, few followed its recommendations in their entirety. MyPyramid is Web-based and uses technology to provide individual guidance to consumers.
USDA’s new MyPyramid symbolizes a personalized approach to healthful eating and physical activity. The symbol has been designed to be simple. It has been developed to remind consumers to make healthful food choices and to be active every day.
Q: How was MyPyramid developed?
A: The USDA has provided food guidance to the American public for more than 100 years. MyPyramid is based on the recommendations outlined in the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and USDA in January 2005. Because nutrition science continues to emerge and evolve, the Dietary Guidelines are updated every 5 years and are based on the preponderance of scientific evidence available at the time of revision. MyPyramid carries the messages of the Dietary Guidelines and communicates to Americans the vital health benefits of simple and modest improvements in nutrition, physical activity, and lifestyle behaviors.
In addition to the information provided by the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the development process for MyPyramid also included the following elements:
- Stakeholder input—A notice was posted in the Federal Register to present the plan and to solicit public comment. The notice included the conceptual plan for the graphic design and proposed consumer messages. The comments received were used to help focus the design and development of both the motivational and the educational aspects of the food guidance system.
- Design—A new symbol, slogan, and educational materials—including Web-based educational materials—were developed.
- Consumer testing—As part of the design and development process, potential images and messages were tested with consumers to determine how well they communicated the intended content and how appealing they were to consumers. The results from the consumer research were used to revise and finalize the communication materials so that consumers can more easily understand these messages and incorporate them into their lives.
