The food pyramid had been around for a long time. It was also revised in 1992 (Building your own Food Pyramid, 2005). Through its years the food pyramid has undergone many changes. In 2005, the government designed a new food pyramid. This food pyramid is different in many ways from the previous one. It focuses more on the individual rather than America as a whole.

This new food pyramid has vertical columns rather than the horizontal boxes. The columns are color coded to show the different food groups. While the government had kept the original names for the groups, it didn’t keep the portions. The government understands that everyone is different and doesn’t need the same six to eleven servings of grains, as was in the old pyramid. The emphasis is now on the calorie intake, which also differs from person to person. They focus more eating more whole grains not refined grains, vegetables and fruits, lean meats, and drinking low-fat or fat free dairy products. More over, they feel that people should lower the intake of fats, sugars, and salts. The brand new thing they added to the pyramid is the person walking up the stairs. This shows that exercise is important to a daily routine. All of these changes reflect individual’s needs (Gupta & Abedin, 2005).