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Food Pyramids and Food: Almost two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese, and more than half of them get too little physical activity. The purpose of a food pyramid is to give you an idea of the amount of food to be eating. However, if people look at the wrong type of idea, they will get the wrong type of idea. Over years, we have looked at many pyramids and have chosen one that is just right! That pyramid is called the Mygov food pramid. As you can see in the Mygov pyramid below, there is an excersize portion to it (circled) ,as well as more food choices than before. Unlike other pyramids, the my gov pyramid shows you that even snacks like popcorn and chips can be okay for you, if eaten once in a while. The yellow section isn't named because it is the oils section. Oils are unhealthy.However, a child needs some fat in their brain to grow. The new MyPyramid uses the same basic food groups as the other pyramids, but it arranges them in a way that shows which foods we should be eating more of, and which we should eat less of: Here are some great portion sizes for kids from ages 4-11: GRAINS Kids 4-6: 6 servings daily Kids 6-11: 5-7 servings daily VEGETABLES Kids 4-6: 3 servings daily Kids 6-11: 4-6 servings daily FRUITS Kids 4-6: 2 servings daily Kids 6-11: 3-4 servings daily DAIRY Kids 4-6: 2 servings daily Kids 6-11: 3 servings daily PROTEIN Kids 4-6: 2 servings daily Kids 6-11: 5-6 servings daily Written by Lisa Sasson, M.S., R.D., clinical assistant professor, New York University Department of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health |