• USDA - MyPyramid.com
• Harvard School of Public Health
• Health Canada's Food Guide
• Udo's Choice Food Pyramids
• Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid
• Asian Diet Pyramid
  • For Children

• Latin American Diet Pyramid
  • For Children
• Mediterranean Diet Pyramid
  • For Children
• Vegetarian Diet Pyramid
  • For Children
• The Eatwise™ Pyramid

Health Canada's Food Guide

Source: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/food-guide-aliment/index_e.html
(Accessed: 6 November 2008; Adapted.)

Eating Well with Canada's Food Guide is designed to help you and your family know how much food you need, what types of foods are better for you, and the importance of physical activity in your day.

Having the amount and type of food recommended and following the tips included in Canada's Food Guide will help:

• Meet your needs for vitamins, minerals and other nutrients.
• Reduce your risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, certain types of cancer and osteoporosis.
• Contribute to your overall health and vitality.

[Read more]

Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid

Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/healthy-diet/NU00190
(Last Accessed: 6 November 2008)

A food pyramid is one tool to help you eat better. Find out how to use a food pyramid to create a healthy diet. A healthy-eating plan can be illustrated in many ways, but it's often found in the shape of a pyramid. Food pyramids outline various food groups and food choices that, if eaten in the right quantities, form the foundation of a healthy diet.

The food pyramid plan
Guidelines for choosing foods are widely represented in various food pyramids. The triangular shape of the pyramid shows you where to focus when selecting foods. Foods to eat the most of create the base of the pyramid, and foods to eat in smaller amounts or less frequently are shown farther up the pyramid.

A food pyramid familiar to many Americans is MyPyramid (formerly known as the Food Guide Pyramid), established by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of Health and Human Services. Many other pyramids exist, however. These include the Asian, Latin American, Mediterranean and Vegetarian diet pyramids developed by Oldways Preservation Trust, and the Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid, just to name a few... [Read more]

Traditional Healthy Asian Diet Pyramid

Source: http://oldwayspt.org/asian_pyramid.html
(Last Accessed: 6 November 2008; Adapted.)

The Asian Diet Pyramid, second in a series on the public health implication of traditional diets, represents a traditional, healthy Asian diet and is based on a generalized summary of the traditional healthy diets of Asian populations. Eating in Asia is often closely identified with religious practices or long-standing customs, and the recording of these dietary patterns is an excellent source of information and culinary inspiration. The data makes clear that peoples who ate traditional Asian diets had low rates of chronic disease common in Western countries.

Rice provides 25 to 80 percent of the calories in the daily diet of 2.7 billion Asians, and is the world's number one food crop. Traditional, regional Indian diets have emerged with rice, wheat and millet-based menus. A recognition of trends over the last twenty years toward the westernization of the diet in larger and medium-sized Chinese city populations has led to the formulation of policies to encourage maintenance of the traditional Chinese dietary pattern. This pattern, found in the Asian Diet Pyramid, has plant food constitutes the main body of the diet with moderate amounts of animal products, and an increase in the variety of food....

Traditional Healthy Asian Diet Pyramid for Children

Source: http://oldwayspt.org/asian_pyramid.html
(Last Accessed: 6 November 2008)

Traditional Healthy Latin American Diet Pyramid for Children

Source: http://oldwayspt.org/latin_pyramid.html
(Last Accessed: 6 November 2008)

Traditional Healthy Mediterranean Diet Pyramid

Source: http://oldwayspt.org/med_pyramid.html
(Last Accessed: 6 November 2008)

The Mediterranean Diet Pyramid
Dietary data from those parts of the Mediterranean region that in the recent past enjoyed the lowest recorded rates of chronic diseases and the highest adult life expectancy show a pattern like the one illustrated in the list below. The healthfulness of this pattern is corroborated by epidemiological and experimental nutrition research. The average amounts given are in most cases intentionally nonspecific, since variation is known to have been considerable within this pattern. The historical pattern includes the following (with several parenthetical notes adding contemporary public health perspective):

• An abundance of food from plant sources, including fruits and vegetables, potatoes, breads and grains, beans, nuts, and seeds.
• Emphasis on a variety of minimally processed and, wherever possible, seasonally fresh and locally grown foods (which often maximizes the health-promoting micronutrient and antioxidant content of these foods).
• Olive oil as the principal fat, replacing other fats and oils (including butter and margarine).
• Total fat ranging from less than 25 percent to over 35 percent of energy, with saturated fat no more than 7 to 8 percent of energy (calories).
• Daily consumption of low to moderate amounts of cheese and yogurt (low-fat and non-fat versions may be preferable).
• Weekly consumption of low to moderate amounts of fish and poultry (recent research suggests that fish be somewhat favored over poultry); from zero to four eggs per week (including those used in cooking and baking).
• Fresh fruit as the typical daily dessert; sweets with a significant amount of sugar (often as honey) and saturated fat consumed not more than a few times per week.
• Red meat a few times per month (recent research suggests that if red meat is eaten, its consumption should be limited to a maximum of 12 to 16 ounces [340 to 450 grams] per month; where the flavor is acceptable, lean versions may be preferable).
• Regular physical activity at a level which promotes a healthy weight, fitness and well-being.
• Moderate consumption of wine, normally with meals; about one to two glasses per day for men and one glass per day for women (from a contemporary public health perspective, wine should be considered optional and avoided when consumption would put the individual or others at risk.)

[Read more]

Traditional Healthy Mediterranean Diet Pyramid for Children

Source: http://oldwayspt.org/index.php?area=pyramid_med
(Last Accessed: 6 November 2008)

Traditional Healthy Vegetarian Diet Pyramid

Source: http://oldwayspt.org/vegetarian_pyramid.html
(Last Accessed: 6 November 2008)

Vegetarian Diet Pyramid
The Vegetarian Diet Pyramid, fourth and last in the Oldways series, represents a traditional healthy vegetarian diet. Variations of this traditional healthy vegetarian diet exist throughout the world, particularly in parts of North America, Europe, South America, and most notably, Asia. Given these carefully defined parameters, the phrase "Traditional Vegetarian Diet" is used here to represent the healthy traditional ovo-lacto vegetarian diets of these regions and peoples.

According to the 1995 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, healthful diets contain the amounts of essential nutrients and energy needed to prevent nutritional deficiencies and excesses. Healthful diets also provide the right balance of carbohydrate, fat, and protein to reduce risks for chronic diseases, and they are obtained from a variety of foods that are available, affordable, and enjoyable. People are quickly learning that they can easily combine a variety of grains and vegetables to ensure that all nine essential amino acids are obtained in adequate amounts. Plant protein foods contribute approximately 65 percent of the per capita supply of protein on a worldwide basis. Vegetarian meals can be delicious and exciting, especially when several varieties of grains, fruits, and vegetables are combined. A wide array of spices and herbs, an increasing variety of produce at the market, and multiple options for artesian oils and cheeses all combine to produce flavors and tastes that capture the essence of a culinary adventure... [Read more]