In 1992, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) developed the food guide pyramid for people ages three years and older in order to help them make wise decisions about what they eat. The pyramid is divided into five main food groups plus a fats, oils, and sweets category. These groups include the milk, yogurt, and cheese group, the meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs, and nuts group, the vegetable group, the fruit group, and the bread, cereal, rice, and past group. The USDA developed the guide in a shape of a pyramid because it clearly shows which foods to eat less of, and which foods to eat more of. The fats and oils category is the top of the pyramid and should be consumed the least, and the breads, cereals, rice, and pasta group is the base of the pyramid and should be consumed the most.(see table 1).
The pyramid not only shows which foods to eat but it also tells how many servings should be eaten per day. The food guide pyramid recommends 2-3 servings per day of milk, yogurt, and cheese. 1 cup of milk or yogurt is a one serving and 1 ½ -2 ounces of cheese is considered one serving. For meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs and nuts, the food guide pyramid suggests 2-3 servings as well. 2 ½-3 ounces of cooked lean meat, poultry or fish is one serving, and 1 egg, 2 tablespoons of peanut butter, or ½ cup of cooked beans is also one serving. For vegetables, 3-5 servings is the recommendation. ½ cup of chopped raw or cooked vegetables is one serving, and 1 cup of leafy raw vegetables is one serving. The pyramid recommends 2-4 servings of fruit. 1 piece of fruit or melon wedge is considered a serving, 3/4 cup fruit juice, ½ cup of canned fruit, or 1/4 cup dried fruit is one serving. For the breads, cereals, rice and pasta group the suggested serving size is 6-11. 1 slice of bread, ½ cup of cooked rice or pasta, ½ cup of cereal, or ½ a bagel or english muffin is considered one serving.