Food Pyramids, Food Plates, and Other Dietary Models
Cultural Modeling of Dietary Guidelines
Selected Examples, Notes and References

USDA

Source: Getting Started with MyPlate
ChooseMyPlate.gov, USDA.

MyPlate is part of a larger communications initiative based on 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans to help consumers make better food choices. MyPlate is designed to remind Americans to eat healthfully; it is not intended to change consumer behavior alone. MyPlate illustrates the five food groups using a familiar mealtime visual, a place setting.

The website features practical information and tips to help Americans build healthier diets. It features selected messages to help consumer focus on key behaviors. Selected messages include:

• Balancing Calories
  • Enjoy your food, but eat less.
  • Avoid oversized portions.
• Foods to Increase
  
  • Make half your plate fruits and vegetables.
  • Make at least half your grains whole grains.
  • Switch to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk.
• Foods to Reduce
  
  • Compare sodium in foods like soup, bread, and frozen meals—and choose foods with lower numbers.
    
  • Drink water instead of sugary drinks.

ChooseMyPlate.gov includes much of the consumer and professional information formerly found on MyPyramid.gov.

Harvard School of Public Health

Source: Healthy Eating Plate and Healthy Eating Pyramid
The Nutrition Source, Harvard School of Public Health (Last Accessed: 17 January 2012)

The pyramid model of food choices has been around for a long time, but as we read at the Harvard School of Public Health, "[w]hen it's time for dinner, most of us eat off of a plate", so the new visual is the Healthy Eating Plate, launched in September 2011.

A picture is worth a thousand words, and that's why nutritionists use symbols and shapes to answer the question, “What should I eat?” For nearly two decades, the U.S. government distilled its nutrition advice into pyramids. These efforts didn't accurately show people what makes up a healthy diet. Why? Their recommendations were based on out-of-date science and influenced by people with business interests in the messages the icons sent. This year, the U.S. government scrapped its MyPyramid icon in favor of the fruit-and-vegetable rich MyPlate — an improvement, yet one that still doesn't go far enough to show people how to make the healthiest choices.

[...] The Healthy Eating Pyramid is a simple, trustworthy guide to choosing a healthy diet. Its foundation is daily exercise and weight control, since these two related elements strongly influence your chances of staying healthy. The Healthy Eating Pyramid builds from there, showing that you should eat more foods from the bottom part of the pyramid (vegetables, whole grains) and less from the top (red meat, refined grains, potatoes, sugary drinks, and salt).

There are better alternatives: the new Healthy Eating Plate and the Healthy Eating Pyramid, both built by faculty members in the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health, in conjunction with colleagues at Harvard Health Publications. The Healthy Eating Plate fixes the flaws in USDA's MyPlate, just as the Healthy Eating Pyramid rectifies the mistakes of the USDA's food pyramids. Both the Healthy Eating Plate and the Healthy Eating Pyramid are based on the latest science about how our food, drink, and activity choices affect our health — and are unaffected by businesses and organizations with a stake in their messages.

The Healthy Eating Pyramid click to enlarge

When it's time for dinner, most of us eat off of a plate. So think of the new Healthy Eating Plate as blueprint for a typical meal: Fill half your plate with produce—colorful vegetables, the more varied the better, and fruits. (Remember, potatoes and French fries don't count as vegetables!) Save a quarter of your plate for whole grains. A healthy source of protein, such as fish, poultry, beans, or nuts, can make up the rest. The glass bottle is a reminder to use healthy oils, like olive and canola, in cooking, on salad, and at the table. Complete your meal with a cup of water, or if you like, tea or coffee with little or no sugar (not the milk or other dairy products that the USDA's MyPlate recommends; limit milk/dairy products to one to two servings per day). And that figure scampering across the bottom of the placemat? It's your reminder that staying active is half of the secret to weight control. The other half is eating a healthy diet with modest portions that meet your calorie needs—so be sure you choose a plate that is not too large. [...]

Healthy Eating Plate vs. USDA's MyPlate Source: Harvard School of Public Health Accessed 17 January 2012. Read frequently asked questions about the Healthy Eating Plate. Read more about the Healthy Eating Plate and the Healthy Eating Pyramid. Read the press release about the Healthy Eating Plate from September 14, 2011.
The Healthy Eating Plate - Harvard	MyPlate - USDA
click for larger view	click for larger view
Whole Grains	Grains
The Healthy Eating Plate encourages consumers to choose whole grains and limit refined grains, since whole grains are much better for health. In the body, refined grains like white bread and white rice act just like sugar. Over time, eating too much of these refined-grain foods can make it harder to control weight and can raise the risk of heart disease and diabetes. Read more about the health benefits of whole grains.	MyPlate does not tell consumers that whole grains are better for health.
Healthy Protein	Protein
The Healthy Eating Plate encourages consumers to choose fish, poultry, beans or nuts, protein sources that contain other healthful nutrients. It encourages them to limit red meat and avoid processed meat, since eating even small quantities of these foods on a regular basis raises the risk of heart disease, diabetes, colon cancer, and weight gain. Read more about the benefits of choosing healthy protein.	MyPlate's protein section could be filled by a hamburger or hot dog; it offers no indication that some high-protein foods are healthier than others, or that red and processed meat are especially harmful to health.
Vegetables	Vegetables
The Healthy Eating Plate encourages an abundant variety of vegetables, since Americans are particularly deficient in their vegetable consumption—except for potatoes and French fries. Potatoes are chock full of rapidly digested starch, and they have the same effect on blood sugar as refined grains and sweets, so limited consumption is recommended. Read more about the benefits of vegetables.	MyPlate does not distinguish between potatoes and other vegetables.
Fruits	Fruits
The Healthy Eating Plate recommends eating a colorful variety of fruits. Read more about the benefits of fruits.	MyPlate also recommends eating fruits.
Healthy Oils	(Not included in MyPlate)
The Healthy Eating Plate depicts a bottle of healthy oil, and it encourages consumers to use olive, canola, and other plant oils in cooking, on salads, and at the table. These healthy fats reduce harmful cholesterol and are good for the heart, and Americans don't consume enough of them each day. It also recommends limiting butter and avoiding trans fat. Read more about the benefits of healthy fats and oils.	MyPlate is silent on fat, which could steer consumers toward the type of low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet that makes it harder to control weight and worsens blood cholesterol profiles.
Water	Dairy
The Healthy Eating Plate encourages consumers to drink water, since it's naturally calorie free, or to try coffee and tea (with little or no sugar), which are also great calorie-free alternatives. (Questions about caffeine and kids? Read more.) It advises consumers to avoid sugary drinks, since these are major contributors to the obesity and diabetes epidemics. It recommends limiting milk and dairy to one to two servings per day, since high intakes are associated with increased risk of prostate cancer and possibly ovarian cancer; it recommends limiting juice, even 100% fruit juice, to just a small glass a day, because juice contains as much sugar and as many calories as sugary soda. Read more about healthy drinks and read more about calcium, milk and health.	MyPlate recommends dairy at every meal, even though there is little if any evidence that high dairy intakes protect against osteoporosis, and there is considerable evidence that too-high intakes can be harmful. MyPlate says nothing about sugary drinks or juice.
Stay Active	(Not included in MyPlate)
The figure scampering across the bottom of the Healthy Eating Plate's placemat is a reminder that staying active is half of the secret to weight control. The other half is eating a healthy diet with modest portions that meet your calorie needs. Read more about the benefits of staying active.	There is no activity message on MyPlate.

Health Canada's Food Guide

Source: Eating Well with Canada's Food Guide
Accessed 17 January 2012. 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.

Eating Well with Canada's Food Guide

UK — The eatwell plate

Source: The eatwell plate
NHS Choices, National Health Service, Department of Health, DirectGov, UK.
The eatwell plate - Department of Health in association with the Welsh Government,
the Scottish Government and the Food Standards Agency in Northern Ireland (2011)
Last Reviewed:15/04/2011. Accessed 19 January 2012. Link and PDF added.

The eatwell plate shows the different types of food we need to eat – and in what proportions – to have a well balanced and healthy diet.

click to enlarge

It's a good idea to try to get this balance right every day, but you don't need to do it at every meal. And you might find it easier to get the balance right over a longer period, say a week.

Eating healthily is about about eating the right amount of food for your energy needs. In England, most adults are either overweight or obese. This means many of us are eating more than we need, and should eat and drink fewer calories in order to lose weight.

Based on the eatwell plate, you should try to eat:

• Plenty of fruit and vegetables
  Did you know that we should be eating at least five portions of a variety of fruit and veg every day. — More on five daily portions of fruit and veg
• Plenty of potatoes, bread, rice, pasta and other starchy foods
  Choose wholegrain varieties whenever you can. — More on starchy foods
• Some milk and dairy foods — More on milk and dairy foods
• Some meat, fish, eggs, beans and other non-dairy sources of protein
  More on meat | More on eggs | More on beans and pulses
• Just a small amount of foods and drinks high in fat and/or sugar
  More on fat | More on sugar

Try to choose options that are lower in salt when you can.
More on salt

Is the eatwell plate for me?
The eatwell plate applies to most people – whether they're a healthy weight or overweight, whether they eat meat or are vegetarian, and no matter what their ethnic origin.

However, it doesn't apply to children under the age of two because they have different nutritional needs. Between the ages of two and five, children should gradually move to eating the same foods as the rest of the family, in the proportions shown on the eatwell plate. Find out more in Feeding your baby and Weaning and beyond in the Birth to five guide.

Anyone with special dietary requirements or medical needs might want to check with a registered dietitian whether the eatwell plate applies to them. [...]

Australia

Source: The Australian Guide to Healthy Eating
Healthy Active - Healthy Eating, Department of Health and Ageing, Australian Government (2009) Accessed 19 January 2012. PDFs added. This first excerpt provides background information. The poster below it, copyright 1998, remains in use; it can be found on page 9 of the revised Food for Health - Dietary Guidelines for Australians, which you'll find at the bottom of this section.

Download the 1998 booklet
→ Individual sections

The Australian Guide to Healthy Eating [Consumer Booklet, 1998], the national food selection guide, provides consumers, health and education professionals and the food industry with information about the amounts and types of food that need to be eaten each day to get enough of the nutrients essential for good health and well-being. The Guide is designed to suit most healthy people but may not be appropriate for people with certain health problems. If you want advice that is individualised just for you, you should see a dietitian.

A diet consistent with the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating recommends people consume a variety of foods across and within the five food groups and avoid foods that contain too much added fat, salt and sugar. The Guide aims to promote healthy eating habits throughout life, which will assist in reducing the risk of heath problems in later life, such as heart disease, obesity and Type 2 Diabetes.

The Guide aims to encourage the consumption of a variety of foods from each of the five food groups every day in proportions that are consistent with the Dietary Guidelines for Australians. The five foods groups are:

• Bread, cereals, rice, pasta, noodles
• Vegetables, legumes
• Fruit
• Milk, yoghurt, cheese
• Meat, fish, poultry, eggs, nuts, legumes.

[...]

Review Process...

Source: Dietary Guidelines for all Australians
National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), Australian Government
(Page reviewed: 10 January, 2012).
Accessed 19 January 2012.

[...]
Review of the Dietary Guidelines 2010/2012

We have reviewed the Dietary Guidelines to make sure that they are up-to-date and reflect the latest knowledge on nutrition, diet and health. A draft of the Dietary Guidelines has now been produced and is out for public comment. This revision of the Dietary Guidelines has focused on food choice recommendations rather than on how much of certain nutrients you should consume, which was the approach of the 2003 version of the Dietary Guidelines. To produce the draft Dietary Guidelines, NHMRC has reviewed the following:

• Core food groups: The scientific basis for developing nutrition education tools (1994)
• Dietary Guidelines for Australian Adults (2003)
• Dietary Guidelines for Children and Adolescents incorporating the Infant Feeding Guidelines for Health Workers (2003)
• Dietary Guidelines for Older Australians (1999)
• The Australian Guide to Healthy Eating (1998)

• Dietary Guidelines for Children and Adolescents in Australia incorporating The Infant Feeding Guidelines for Health Workers
• Dietary Guidelines for Australian Adults
• Food for health (Poster)
• Food for health -
  Dietary Guidelines for Australians
• Food for health -
  Dietary Guidelines for Children and Adolescents
• Food for health -
  Dietary Guidelines for Australian Adults
• Communication Strategy - Foods for Infants

EUFIC — European Food Information Council

Source: Food-Based Dietary Guidelines in Europe
EUFIC REVIEW 10/2009.
Accessed 21 January 2012. This page shows many FBDG graphics from many European countries.

The majority of European countries have some form of FBDG. The guidelines are listed in Table 1 with information on their format and the advice covered. Nearly all guidelines include advice about foods containing fat, foods containing sugar and the consumption of fruits and vegetables. They also often contain advice on eating protein-containing foods, foods rich in carbohydrates and dietary fibre, restricting salt, taking enough fluids, controlling alcohol intake and body weight, and other aspects of lifestyle such as getting enough physical activity and eating regular meals. Occasionally they have advice on food hygiene.

Some countries, for example Italy and Denmark, have a list of food-based messages [...] while others present their FBDG in different graphic formats. [...]

NOTE that some of the many FBDG graphics presented in this EUFIC Review 2009 have been superseded by others. Below, for example, are first the Belgian food pyramid as it appears on the EUFIC Review page, and second, a 2011 version.

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Germany — The three-dimensional food pyramid

Source: Food-Based Dietary Guidelines in Europe
EUFIC REVIEW 10/2009.
Accessed 21 January 2012. Images credit DGE. The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Ernährung e. V. (DGE) press release is Die dreidimensionale Lebensmittelpyramide (21.03.2005)
NOTE: You can rotate the pyramid through three dimensions online by installing a Turn Tool Viewer
(works in IE and some versions of Firefox).

Germany uses a three-dimensional pyramid that provides qualitative (nutritional role of the food) as well as quantitative (how much of this food relative to others) advice on food consumption.

The four sides of the pyramid are dedicated to the following food groups:

1. Foods primarily of plant origin; criteria for grouping at the base, middle or top of the pyramid being calorie density, nutrient density (vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, fibre); preventive aspects (cancer, heart disease).
2. Foods primarily of animal origin; criteria for grouping at the base, middle or top of the pyramid being calorie density, nutrient density (e.g., calcium, iron, zinc, selenium, B vitamins, vitamin D); fat quality (saturated fats, omega-3 fatty acids).

Dietary fats and oils; positioning criteria for fats being: fatty acid composition omega-3, omega-6, omega-9 fatty acids, saturated fats, ratio of omega-6:omega-3 fatty acids); vitamin E; cholesterol; trans fats; application in cooking; criteria for oils: ratio of omega-6:omega-3 fatty acids; vitamin E content. Beverages; positioning criteria being: calorific value (moderate: < 7 % carbohydrates, high: > 7 % carbohydrates); essential nutrients; phytonutrients; stimulants; sweeteners. The colours on the left of each of the four sides of the German pyramid are traffic lights that indicate the nutritional value of the foods and thereby give advice on the amounts to be consumed. The traffic lights apply to foods within the same food group. The bottom of the 3D pyramid depicts a circle indicating the relative proportions of each group in the diet. For this, the plant-based foods are divided into ‘fruits and vegetables’ and ‘cereals’ and are given a much larger proportion of the circle than the animal-based foods. Fats are reduced to a very small proportion of the whole and water fills the centre.
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Spain — La nueva Rueda de los Alimentos

Source: La nueva rueda de los alimentos
Sociedad Española de Dietética y Ciencias de la Alimentación (SEDCA).
Accessed 21 January 2012.
And see:
• La capacidad antioxidante di la dieta española: la "rueda de los alimentos" antioxidantes,
     Prof. JMR Álvarez, Universidad Complutense Madrid (2005)
• Alimentación y Salud, Universidad de Murcia.

Metodología
Se ha desarrollado una “Nueva rueda de los alimentos” cuyas diferencias frente a la tradicional rueda son:

1. Los Grupos de alimentos.
   

   Eran tradicionalmente siete, convirtiéndose en esta versión en seis Grupos:

   1. Energético (composición predominante en hidratos de carbono: productos derivados de los cereales, patatas, azúcar)
   2. Energético (composición predominante en lípidos: mantequilla, aceites y grasas en general)
   3. Plásticos (composición predominante en proteínas: productos de origen lácteo)
   4. Plásticos (composición predominante en proteínas: cárnicos, huevos y pescados, legumbres y frutos secos)
   5. Reguladores (hortalizas y verduras)
   6. Reguladores (frutas)

   Incluye, además, mención explícita al ejercicio físico y a la necesidad de ingerir agua en cantidades suficientes.

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China — Guide on Diet for Chinese People

Source: The Chinese food pagoda
Shanghai Daily (31 March 2009), China.org.cn. Accessed 21 January 2012.

The new edition of "Guide on Diet for Chinese People" released in January 2008 recommends a Chinese food pagoda for a balanced diet.

According to the guide, there are five levels in the food pagoda, indicating the different levels of importance and the amount we need in daily diet.

Grains, potatoes, beans and water are the fundament. An adult need 250-400 grams of grains, potatoes and beans and 1,200ml water every day.

Vegetables and fruits are the second important, with a daily demand of 300-500 grams of vegetables and 200-400 grams of fruits. Meat, fish, shrimp and eggs take the third - 50-75 grams of meat, 50-100 grams of fish and shrimps, 25-50 grams of eggs for every day.

Then comes the demand of 300 grams of dairy products and 30-50 grams of nuts and soybean products. Oil and salt are at the top with the least demand of 25-30 grams and 6 grams respectively for each day.

The guide also suggests dark-color vegetables take half of the vegetable intake every day as they are rich in carotene and vitamin A.

What the pagoda suggests is an average intake of different foods. It will definitely be helpful if all the categories are included in the diet every day, but not necessarily the exact same portion mentioned. As long as the average amount meets the requirement, it is a balanced diet good for health.

Source: The transition of Chinese dietary guidelines and the food guide pagoda
Keyou Ge PhD. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2011;20 (3):439-446.
Accessed 21 January 2012.

Abstract
China promulgated her first food based dietary guidelines (FBDGs) in 1989. It was proposed by the standing board of Chinese Nutrition Society. The guidelines consisted of 8 items, each followed by a paragraph of explanation words. The second FBDGs came out in 1997, was expanded to include 3 parts i.e. guide lines for general population, for 7 particular population groups (infants, toddlers and preschool children, school-age children, adolescents, pregnant women, lactating mothers and the aged) and a newly formed food guide pagoda (FGP). The last version of the Chinese FBDGs was compelled by Chinese Nutrition Society in 2007, and proclaimed by the Ministry of Health in early 2008. The new guidelines kept the skeleton of three parts, but expanded remarkably in volume and coverage. The guidelines for the general population consisted of 10 items, each containing: core information, a discussion and reference materials. The guidelines for particular groups contained more subgroups, and more detailed recommendations. The revised pagoda kept the previous food grouping and placement but altered the amount of some food groups. An image of a walker and a cup of water were added to the side of the pagoda. Guidelines-2007 called for more coarse grains and less cooking oil consumption. Physical activity is also strongly recommended.

Chinese Food Guide Pagoda 1997

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Japan — The Food Guide Spinning Top

Source: Japanese Food Guide Spinning Top: Do you have a well-balanced diet?
Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare; Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. (2005) Accessed 21 January 2012.

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Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid

Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/healthy-diet/NU00190
Mayo Clinic Staff. (Last accessed 6 November 2008, this text has been superseded by the excerpt that follows, presented at the same URL; I've included it here because it contains useful background material.)

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]

And see:

• Comparison of international food guide pictorial representations
  Painter J, Rah JH, Lee YK.
  J Am Diet Assoc. 2002 Apr;102(4):483-9.
• Food-Based Dietary Guidelines in Europe
  EUFIC REVIEW 10/2009.

Source: Pyramid or plate? Explore these healthy diet options
Healthy diets come in all shapes and sizes. Pick one and discover how easy it is to eat healthy.
Mayo Clinic Staff. Accessed 17 January 2012.

click the image to visit site and explore the diets

click the above image to visit site and explore the diets

A healthy diet can be illustrated in many ways, but it's often found in the shape of a pyramid. Most people are familiar with MyPyramid developed by the Department of Agriculture, but that's history now. It's been replaced with MyPlate.

However, many other healthy diets are still represented by food pyramids. These include the Asian, Latin American, Mediterranean and Vegetarian Food Guide pyramids, as well as the Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid, just to name a few. These graphics reinforce the choices that are the foundation of a healthy diet.

Basic principles of a healthy diet

Symbols, such as a pyramid, illustrate how the pieces of a healthy diet fit together. The base of the pyramid is typically made up of foods that should be the bulk of your healthy diet. In contrast, foods you should eat in smaller amounts or less frequently are shown in the smaller sections of the pyramid. The same principle applies to the dinner plate — half of the plate consists of fruits and vegetables, which should be the bulk of your diet.

Of course, no single food provides all of the nutrients that your body needs, so the idea is to eat a variety of foods from each group in the proper proportions to get all the necessary nutrients and other substances that promote good health.

In addition, most healthy-diet plans emphasize the following:

• Eat more plant foods, including fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
• Choose lean protein from a variety of sources.
• Limit sweets and salt.
• Control portion sizes.
• Be physically active.

[Read More]

Joel Fuhrman MD — The Nutritarian Food Pyramid

Source: Dr. Fuhrman's Nutritarian Pyramid
Joel Fuhrman MD, drfuhrman.com (2010). Accessed 21 January 2012.

Dr. Fuhrman’s food pyramid is based on the principles of high nutrient eating as illustrated by his Health Equation: Health = Nutrients / Calories (H = N / C). Low-calorie, nutrient dense foods are at the base of the pyramid, and high-calorie, nutrient poor foods are at the top. As nutrient density decreases, the quantity of room in the diet decreases.

Nutritional science in the last twenty years has demonstrated that colorful plant foods contain a huge assortment of protective compounds, mostly of which still remain unnamed. Only by eating an assortment of nutrient-rich natural foods can we access these protective compounds and prevent the common diseases that afflict Americans. Our modern, low-nutrient eating style has led to an overweight population, the majority of whom develop diseases of nutritional ignorance, causing our medical costs to spiral out of control.

The base of the pyramid – the foundation of the diet, foods consumed in the highest quantity – should be the foods with the highest ratios of nutrients to calories – these are vegetables. Ninety percent of the daily diet should be made up of nutrient rich plant foods, whose calories are accompanied by health-promoting phytochemicals: green and other non-starchy vegetables; fresh fruits; beans and legumes; raw nuts, seeds, and avocados; starchy vegetables; and whole grains.

If desired, the remaining 10% of the diet can contain small amounts of foods with lower nutrient to calorie ratios, such as animal products, sweets, and processed foods, as shown toward the top of the pyramid. By keeping these low nutrient foods to a minimum and striving to eat at least 90% of calories from the unrefined plant foods that comprise the base of the pyramid each day, you construct a health-promoting, disease-preventing diet. Those that strive to follow this high nutrient eating style are considered nutritarians. [...]

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American Diabetes Association — Create Your Plate

Source: Create Your Plate
American Diabetes Association. Accessed 21 January 2012.

[...]
Six Easy Steps to Create Your Plate

It's simple and effective for both managing diabetes and losing weight. Creating your plate let's you still choose the foods you want, but changes the portion sizes so you are getting larger portions of non-starchy vegetables and a smaller portion of starchy foods. When you are ready, you can try new foods within each food category.

Try these six simple steps to get started:

Using your dinner plate, put a line down the middle of the plate.

1. Then on one side, cut it again so you will have 3 sections on your plate.
2. Fill the largest section with non-starchy vegetables such as:
   • spinach, carrots, lettuce, greens, cabbage, bok choy
   • green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes,
   • vegetable juice, salsa, onion, cucumber, beets, okra,
   • mushrooms, peppers, turnip
3. Now in one of the small sections, put starchy foods such as:
   • whole grain breads, such as whole wheat or rye
   • whole grain, high-fiber cereal
   • cooked cereal such as oatmeal, grits, hominy, or cream of wheat
   • rice, pasta, dal, tortillas
   • cooked beans and peas, such as pinto beans or black-eyed peas
   • potatoes, green peas, corn, lima beans, sweet potatoes, winter squash
   • low-fat crackers and snack chips, pretzels, and fat-free popcorn
4. And then on the other small section, put your meat or meat substitutes such as:
   • chicken or turkey without the skin
   • fish such as tuna, salmon, cod, or catfish
   • other seafood such as shrimp, clams, oysters, crab, or mussels
   • lean cuts of beef and pork such as sirloin or pork loin
   • tofu, eggs, low-fat cheese
5. Add an 8 oz glass of non-fat or low-fat milk. If you don’t drink milk, you can add another small serving of carb such as a 6 oz. container of light yogurt or a small roll.
   • And a piece of fruit or a 1/2 cup fruit salad and you have your meal planned. Examples are fresh, frozen, or canned in juice or frozen in light syrup or fresh fruit.

Breakfast

Your plate will look different at breakfast but the idea is the same. If you use a plate or bowl for breakfast, keep your portions small. Use half your plate for starchy foods. You can ad fruit in the small part and a meat or meat substitute in the other. Find out about Breakfast On the Go.

Joshua Wold's Vegan Food Pyramid

Source: Vegan Food Pyramid
Joshua Wold, Vegan Food Pyramid Poster (2010). Accessed 19 January 2012.

Illustrating over 125 vegan food items as an alternative to the traditional food pyramid, Joshua Wold's 2006 Vegan Food Pyramid has received praise from many quarters, and is available as a free download in multiple languages. You can also buy it online — postcard packs or posters. He's recently updated the design, and plans to roll out more changes over time. This product represents Wold's personal experience as a vegetarian and vegan. He's an artist, he writes, not a medical professional; although people in the medical profession have appreciated his poster, the vegan food pyramid is only intended to be used as a guide to inspire you with the many amazing vegan food items available. If you need nutritional advice, please consult your physician or nutritionist.

The Vegan Food Pyramid Chart is something we use in our local cooking classes and in our health education organization. We believe this chart is excellent, it is especially good for children; they love to look at it because it is so vibrant, busy with information and the illustrations are superb. We recommend this chart highly.
— John Clark MD & Julie Clark

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• Vegan Food Pyramid Translations
• English 800 x 600 | 1024 x 768
• French — 1024 x 768
• German — 1024 x 768
• Polish — 1024 x 768
• Spanish — 1200 x 800 // transl. Fernando Duz
• Portuguese — 1200 x 800
• Persian — 1200 x 800 // transl. Majid Araghi
• Chinese — 1200 x 960 // transl. Annie Taylor Chen
• Turkish — 1200 x 800 // transl. Dorna Crane

The Native American Food Pyramid

Source: Diabetes on the Navajo nation:
What role can gardening and agriculture extension play to reduce it?
Lombard KA, Forster-Cox S, Smeal D, O'Neill MK.
Rural and Remote Health 6:640. (16 October 2006).
Accessed 21 January 2012. Image attributed to Hinkle A. Native American Food Pyramid. No date.

The Native American Food Pyramid

Mark Sisson: The Primal Blueprint

Source: The Primal Blueprint Diagrams
Mark Sisson, Mark's Daily Apple (2011) Accessed 19 January 2012.

The Primal Blueprint Food Pyramid: For effortless weight loss, vibrant health, and maximum longevity.

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General Guidelines: 80% of body composition success is determined by diet. Limit processed carb intake (hence, insulin production), and obtain sufficient protein and fat to fuel and rebuild.

Amazon.ca Amazon.com chapters.indigo.ca

• Protein: Average .7 – 1 gram per pound of lean body mass/day – depending on activity levels (more at times is fine).
• Carbs: 50-100 grams/day (or less) = accelerated fat loss. 100-150 grams/day = effortless weight maintenance. Heavy exercisers can increase carb intake as needed to replace glycogen stores.
• Fat: Enjoy freely but sensibly for balance of caloric needs and high dietary satisfaction levels.
• Avoid Poisonous Things: Conventional Wisdom’s dietary guidelines promote fat storage, type 2 diabetes, inflammation and obesity!
• Eliminate: Sugary foods and beverages, grains (wheat, corn, rice, pasta, breads, cereals, etc.), legumes (soy and other beans), trans and partially hydrogenated fats, high-risk conventional meat and produce, and excess PUFA’s (instead, increase omega-3 oils).
• Modern Adjustments: Some modern foods that Grok didn’t eat can still be included in a healthy diet
• Moderation: Certain high glycemic fruit, coffee, high-fat dairy products, starchy tuber vegetables, and wild rice.
• Supplements: Multivitamin/mineral formula, probiotics, omega-3 fish oil and protein powder.
• Herbs, spices and extracts: Offer many health benefits and enhance enjoyment of meals.
• Sensible indulgences: Dark chocolate, moderate alcohol, high-fat treats.

[...]

Udo's Choice Food Pyramids

Source: Udo's Choice Food Pyramids

Udo's 3 Diet Pyramids are for [...] adults who fall into one of the three following categories: HEALTHY PEOPLE (people who are near normal weight who have no major health problems); SICK PEOPLE (people who suffer from chronic degenerative diseases); and ACTIVE PEOPLE (people such as professional athletes, construction laborers and fitness buffs who burn more calories in physical activity than average). Click on each one of the above pyramid [images below] to see the full diagram. These pyramids illustrate general dietary principles; they [are] are educational in nature; individuals should consult with health care professionals before making dietary changes... [Read more]

HEALTHY PEOPLE	SICK PEOPLE
ACTIVE PEOPLE