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WASHINGTON (AP) -- Most Americans are familiar with the federal Food Guide Pyramid -- but a lot of people don't understand how to use it.
Too many are confused by the recommendations and can't figure out how to implement them. The proof, Agriculture Department officials say, is that two out of three Americans are fat.
So, as officials develop new guidelines on healthy eating, they also are looking for new ways to get out the message. Replacing the familiar food pyramid, first published in 1992, may be among them.
Agriculture Department officials talked about the problem of the pyramid Monday as they trolled for ideas about how to perk up the nation's nutritional record.
Typical of the pyramid's shortcomings is that some people thought the graphic's recommendation of 6 to 11 daily servings from the grains group, such as bread, meant they could have anywhere from six to 11 servings. A slice of bread is a serving.
Only after the eater checks the pyramid's supplemental literature does it become clear that six servings are sufficient for people who don't burn a lot of calories in a day, such as sedentary women and some older adults. Eleven servings are for those with high-revved metabolisms, such as teenage boys.
The government wants a graphic that will encourage people to get the information they need to eat better and act on it, said Eric Hentges, director of the Agriculture Department's Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion.
The department is asking for public comment on whether to replace the pyramid or update it, Hentges said. He was taking no stand on that choice. "We do not have a preconceived notion," he said.
Federal officials say about 80 percent of Americans recognize the pyramid, but about 66 percent are overweight or obese. Similarly, an Associated Press-Ipsos poll found in May that 30 percent of Americans think the nation's top health problem is overeating, but only 12 percent said they were dieting.
The government has tied a wealth of diet and exercise information to the pyramid, including a 32-page brochure to explain the pyramid and a Web site that helps people plan menus in accordance with it. Officials have had trouble getting people to dig out information and apply it, and a goal of the new initiative is to help them.
The next food guide graphic, whether it is a pyramid or some other shape, will help people make individual choices, a department statement said. Because many people do not realize that generalized messages apply to them, it said, some misunderstood what the generalized messages meant.
Along with a review of the pyramid, the department wants ideas on a catchy slogan and other consumer information. The graphic and slogan should be simple, should draw people in and should send them to more detailed and personalized material, said Jackie Haven, a nutritionist at the center.
The update of the department's venerable illustration also must reflect dietary guidelines based on the latest science, which are being updated by an advisory committee organized by the Health and Human Services Department. The new graphic and the final guidelines are being prepared for the secretaries of agriculture and HHS and are scheduled to be published in early 2005.
Coming up with an easy-to-understand graphic to illustrate this complex area is no easy job, said Carol Tucker Foreman, director of food policy at the Consumer Federation of America. "I've never come up with what I think is the perfect answer," she said.
For instance, the pyramid keeps fats, oils and sweets at the top, where they get little space and an advisory line that says "use sparingly." Putting those products at the top makes them look more important, but upending the pyramid to put them at the bottom would make the graphic look strange, Foreman said.
Any update, she said, should advise people to eat more fruits and vegetables and to exercise more.
America's long familiarity with the pyramid argues in favor of keeping the shape, said Susan Borra, a dietitian and executive vice president of the International Food Information Council, a communications group supported by the food and beverage industry. Whatever changes are made should be thoroughly tested with consumers, she said.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Most Americans are familiar with the federal Food Guide Pyramid -- but a lot of people don't understand how to use it.
Too many are confused by the recommendations and can't figure out how to implement them. The proof, Agriculture Department officials say, is that two out of three Americans are fat.
So, as officials develop new guidelines on healthy eating, they also are looking for new ways to get out the message. Replacing the familiar food pyramid, first published in 1992, may be among them.
Agriculture Department officials talked about the problem of the pyramid Monday as they trolled for ideas about how to perk up the nation's nutritional record.
Typical of the pyramid's shortcomings is that some people thought the graphic's recommendation of 6 to 11 daily servings from the grains group, such as bread, meant they could have anywhere from six to 11 servings. A slice of bread is a serving.
Only after the eater checks the pyramid's supplemental literature does it become clear that six servings are sufficient for people who don't burn a lot of calories in a day, such as sedentary women and some older adults. Eleven servings are for those with high-revved metabolisms, such as teenage boys.
The government wants a graphic that will encourage people to get the information they need to eat better and act on it, said Eric Hentges, director of the Agriculture Department's Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion.
The department is asking for public comment on whether to replace the pyramid or update it, Hentges said. He was taking no stand on that choice. "We do not have a preconceived notion," he said.
Federal officials say about 80 percent of Americans recognize the pyramid, but about 66 percent are overweight or obese. Similarly, an Associated Press-Ipsos poll found in May that 30 percent of Americans think the nation's top health problem is overeating, but only 12 percent said they were dieting.
The government has tied a wealth of diet and exercise information to the pyramid, including a 32-page brochure to explain the pyramid and a Web site that helps people plan menus in accordance with it. Officials have had trouble getting people to dig out information and apply it, and a goal of the new initiative is to help them.
The next food guide graphic, whether it is a pyramid or some other shape, will help people make individual choices, a department statement said. Because many people do not realize that generalized messages apply to them, it said, some misunderstood what the generalized messages meant.
Along with a review of the pyramid, the department wants ideas on a catchy slogan and other consumer information. The graphic and slogan should be simple, should draw people in and should send them to more detailed and personalized material, said Jackie Haven, a nutritionist at the center.
The update of the department's venerable illustration also must reflect dietary guidelines based on the latest science, which are being updated by an advisory committee organized by the Health and Human Services Department. The new graphic and the final guidelines are being prepared for the secretaries of agriculture and HHS and are scheduled to be published in early 2005.
Coming up with an easy-to-understand graphic to illustrate this complex area is no easy job, said Carol Tucker Foreman, director of food policy at the Consumer Federation of America. "I've never come up with what I think is the perfect answer," she said.
For instance, the pyramid keeps fats, oils and sweets at the top, where they get little space and an advisory line that says "use sparingly." Putting those products at the top makes them look more important, but upending the pyramid to put them at the bottom would make the graphic look strange, Foreman said.
Any update, she said, should advise people to eat more fruits and vegetables and to exercise more.
America's long familiarity with the pyramid argues in favor of keeping the shape, said Susan Borra, a dietitian and executive vice president of the International Food Information Council, a communications group supported by the food and beverage industry. Whatever changes are made should be thoroughly tested with consumers, she said.
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