The food guide pyramid, informally known as the food pyramid, and formally titled the Improved American Food Guide Pyramid is a historical nutrition guide published in 1992 by the USDA to replace the earlier food groups classification system. The food guide pyramid suggested optimal nutrition guidelines for each food category, per day, using a mnemonic graphic of a pyramid with horizontal dividing lines, to represent suggested percentages of the daily diet for each food group. The food guide pyramid was superseded by the current USDA nutrition advisory program titled "MyPyramid" in April 2005.

The Fall Of The Original USDA Food Guide Pyramid

The USDA and public health advocates recognize that Americans are eating too much fat and sugar, and too few fruits and vegetables. The Food Guide Pyramid recommends eating several times more servings of fruits & vegetables than meat, yet the government pours much more funding into farming livestock than growing fresh produce.

Several large-scale studies have proven health benefits of nuts. Nutritional benefits range from weight loss, lowering the occurrence of Adult Type 2 diabetes to decreasing heart disease risk. Nuts are so high in protein, the USDA Food Guide Pyramid places them in the meat category. In July 2003, The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and United States Department of Health and Human Services (USDHSS) developed a national food guidance system, referred to as the "Food Guide Pyramid", that provides a daily eating plan.

More than a decade ago, the U.S. Department of Agriculture created a powerful and enduring icon - the Food Guide Pyramid. This simple illustration conveyed in a flash what the USDA said were the elements of a healthy diet. The Pyramid was taught in schools, appeared in countless media articles and brochures, and was plastered on cereal boxes and fo