A Brief History of USDA Food Guides

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Many individuals remember the Pyramids – the Food Guide Pyramid and MyPyramid – USDA’s food guidance symbols before MyPlate, but not many people realize just how long USDA’s history of providing science-based dietary guidance to the American public actually is. Starting over a century ago, USDA has empowered Americans to make healthy food choices by providing a number of publications, food guidance symbols, and, more recently, a suite of interactive online tools. Explore the history of USDA’s food guidance on the timeline below.





1916 to 1930s: "Food for Young Children" and "How to Select Food"

Established guidance based on food groups and household measures

Focus was on “protective foods”





1940s: A Guide to Good Eating (Basic Seven)

Foundation diet for nutrient adequacy

Included daily number of servings needed from each of seven food groups

Lacked specific serving sizes

Considered complex

1956 to 1970s: Food for Fitness, A Daily Food Guide (Basic Four)

Foundation diet approach—goals for nutrient adequacy

Specified amounts from four food groups

Did not include guidance on appropriate fats, sugars, and calorie intake

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1979: Hassle-Free Daily Food Guide

Developed after the 1977 Dietary Goals for the United States were released

Based on the Basic Four, but also included a fifth group to highlight the need to moderate intake of fats, sweets, and alcohol













1984: Food Wheel: A Pattern for Daily Food Choices

Total diet approach - Included goals for both nutrient adequacy and moderation

Five food groups and amounts formed the basis for the Food Guide Pyramid

Daily amounts of food provided at three calorie levels

First illustrated for a Red Cross nutrition course as a food wheel

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1992: Food Guide Pyramid

Total diet approach—goals for both nutrient adequacy and moderation

Developed using consumer research, to bring awareness to the new food patterns

Illustration focused on concepts of variety, moderation, and proportion

Included visualization of added fats and sugars throughout five food groups and in the tip

Included range for daily amounts of food across three calorie levels

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2005: MyPyramid Food Guidance System

Introduced along with updating of Food Guide Pyramid food patterns for the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, including daily amounts of food at 12 calorie levels

Continued “pyramid” concept, based on consumer research, but simplified illustration. Detailed information provided on website “MyPyramid.gov”

Added a band for oils and the concept of physical activity

Illustration could be used to describe concepts of variety, moderation, and proportion

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2011: MyPlate

Introduced along with updating of USDA food patterns for the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans

Different shape to help grab consumers’ attention with a new visual cue

Icon that serves as a reminder for healthy eating, not intended to provide specific messages

Visual is linked to food and is a familiar mealtime symbol in consumers’ minds, as identified through testing

“My” continues the personalization approach from MyPyramid

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For more information:

Welsh S, Davis C, Shaw A. A brief history of food guides in the United States. Nutrition Today November/December 1992:6-11.

Welsh S, Davis C, Shaw A. Development of the Food Guide Pyramid. Nutrition Today November/December 1992:12-23.

Haven J, Burns A, Britten P, Davis C. Developing the Consumer Interface for the MyPyramid Food Guidance System. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior 2006, 38: S124–S135.