Remember the old food pyramid? You know, the one suggesting 11 daily servings of breads and cereals? The food guide that conveniently was created by the US Department of Agriculture (oooh, how I love a good conspiracy)? Well, by now people are hip to the fact that the old pyramid wasn't exactly structurally sound. Among its most obvious flaws were its failure to separate good (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated) fats and bad (saturated and trans) fats. In addition, it failed to stress the importance of lean sources of protein to ensure a healthy diet.

Most recently, Danish scientists (scientists from Denmark, not Danish pastries who work in laboratories) reported their findings from a 5-year study on the effects of eating lean protein sources, such as steak, fish, and chicken. After reviewing the health of over 42,000 participants in the study, the researchers found that those who consumed the most animal protein experienced the least increase in waist circumference over the 5-year span.

Because high-protein foods typically take longer to digest than do carb-loaded foods, they take longer to digest -- boosting your metabolism in the process. In addition, because high-protein foods take longer to process, you feel full for a longer period of time, making unhealthy snacking less common.

This is probably why the Department of Agriculture went back to the proverbial drawing board and came up with some some ideas for structural renovations. The end result was the New Food Pyramid -- or, as the Dept. of Agriculture is calling it, My Pyramid. This time around they are making the diets very customizable, with a One Size Does Not Fit All tag line. Probably a wise move, considering that when the old food pyramid was torn down it was almost replaced by a steakhouse.

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Something that has never set on a good footing with me is the USDA's Food Pyramid. The preponderance of meat and dairy about much more important types of nutrition almost tells how the beef and dairy industries lobby for placement rather than what is actually better for consumers in terms of nutrition needs.

From kids to adults, finding the truth about what is the best for your healthy nutrition needs is a never-ending exercise in some cases, but it can be done.

The dietary needs of the normal human body are pretty straightforward (if you can wade through the muck), and this essay explains in detail (PDF download) why a change from the USDA would be welcome by those that really understand human nutrition as opposed to special interests based on outmoded concepts.

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I think years ago, like way back in the old days, things must have been simpler when it came to eating healthy. Not only were there no processed foods but there wasn't nearly the selection we have now. Given, in a lot of ways having choices makes it easier (you can always find something you like) but it also makes it so much harder to fit in everything we're supposed to eat as far as nutrients go during the day. How many servings of fruit? Plus how many of vegetables? And then there's grains and protein....I'm getting a headache. And where does that blueberry muffin fit in exactly anyway?

But Best Life magazine has simplified things for us just a little by compiling a list of 8 foods you should eat every day:

• Spinach
• Yogurt
• Tomatoes
• Carrots
• Blueberries
• Black Beans
• Walnuts
• Oats

That seems easy enough, right? At least they kept it in the single digits! Plus read their full article for explanations on why you want to eat these every day and tips on how to make it happen.

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After quite a long while with an outdated USDA Food Pyramid guide, the USDA has unveiled a new Food Pyramid that changes things quite a bit. For example, I never understood why dairy and meat had so much emphasis on the old pyramid (way too much) -- and why fresh fruits and vegetables were not at the "foundation".

Anyway, the new Food Pyramid has vertical bands that represent food groups and the serving suggestions per day as well we multiple areas where physical activity is encouraged (that is awesome), Maybe in 2020 we'll get another version, eh?

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About 2 years ago the government came up with a new food pyramid, but it hasn't been promoted anywhere but online since it was first released. All that is about to change, as the new design prepares to hit a grocery store near you.

But if you haven't seen it already, you might be a little surprised to see that it doesn't tell you what to eat or how much. It's really just a logo, intended to promote the idea of balanced eating and to encourage and remind people to visit the website www.mypyramid.gov. Once online, enter some general info about yourself (age, sex, physical activity) and then you'll get a personalized idea of how much you should be eating, and of what. Sort of your own personal food pyramid.

I think the old one was much easier and more convenient, but other than sweets being on the top I don't know how many people really knew what went where and followed it everyday -- so maybe this more complicated but personalized version is better.

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Yesterday we mentioned that we're not eating enough fruits and veggies -- a finding based on the USDA's MyPyramid food guide, the 2005 replacement to the long-lived Food Pyramid. Yet, it turns out there's a wee bit of controversy around it, which some health advocates claim was created to appease big U.S. agriculture industries -- top among them dairy, beef, and refined grains -- rather than provide Americans with unbiased nutritional advice.

(This was actually claimed about the original pyramid, too, though it served a purpose in post-World War II to encourage Americans to combat malnutrition by eating what there was plenty of at the time -- milk, butter, meat, corn and wheat.)

To offer another choice, Food Ranger Mike Adams suggests we turn to financially unmotivated guides like the Honest Food Guide, available for a quick and free download at www.HonestFoodGuide.org. The guide, divided into healthy (green) and disease (red) sections, makes it easy to see what food we should and shouldn't be eating. As you might expect, the healthy side is full of fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, sprouts, healthy oils and nuts. I particularly like how sunlight (but not too much to cause sunburn!) and water are the top two listed healthy items.

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