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A PowerPoint presentation (no narration) containing much of this information is available at the below web page. Viewers who have PowerPoint software installed on their computers can view the actual PowerPoint presentation (look for the "foodpyramids.ppt" file), or those without PowerPoint can view the information as a webpage, but only with MS Explorer 4.0 or above (look for "foodpyramids.mht" file).

http://facweb.northseattle.edu/troot/HEA150/slides/

Food Pyramids

Many registered dieticians and nutritionists use food pyramids to show clients how to structure their diets. The larger base of any pyramid represents the kinds of foods to be found most frequently in the diet, while the smaller tip of the pyramid represents the kinds of foods to be found less frequently in the diet. Food pyramids, particularly the USDA food pyramid, have been receiving a lot of unfavorable publicity over the last few years. Much of the publicity comes from the limited amount of information one might obtain from a food pyramid. For example, the well-recognized USDA food pyramid includes a recommendation to consume fat "sparingly" without an explanation of saturated, unsaturated and trans fats. While many nutritionists and healthcare workers contend a low-fat diet tends to be associated with decreased risk of cardiovascular disease, they also recognize the kind of fat present in the diet is important. Harvard University, for example, developed a new pyramid to distinguish foods containing healthier unsaturated fats from less healthy foods containing saturated and trans fats. Meanwhile, other organizations and institutions are busy creating other pyramids or new ways of assessing nutrition.

Food pyramids are being presented in this class as a tool one can use to evaluate his/her food intake. They are not being presented as the only means available to analyze food consumption. View all of the following pyramids, but you will be responsible for only one of them (your choice--you will be prompted to identify your choice in the fifth week assignment and/or a class exam) (R):

The Harvard School of Public Health's Healthy Eating Pyramid (first pyramid listed on Intelihealth.com website)

USDA's new Food Pyramid

Vegetarian Food Pyramid

Vegan Peace's vegan pyramid (pdf)

Mediterranean Food Pyramid

Latin American Food Pyramid

Asian Food Pyramid

University of Michigan-Integrative Medicine's Healing Foods Pyramid

Dr. Weil's Anti-Inflammatory Pyramid