Though for decades the Food Pyramid has been the reference point for many people to understand the quantity and type of food they should eat for maintaining optimum health, the Pyramid has now been re-designed since 2005. The new design represents the five major food groups including fats and oils through colored vertical stripes. Here is a reference for quick understanding of the new Food Pyramid and what the individual colors mean:
Orange – grains.
Green – vegetables.
Red – fruits.
Yellow - fats and oils.
Blue - milk and dairy products.
Purple - meat, beans, fish, and nuts.
The whole objective of the Food Pyramid is to show people how much of each variety of food must be consumed to be healthy. As you can see, you must have a combination of all the different types of food but in varying quantities. The thinner the stripe, lesser the amount of that particular food type must be eaten in a day. The same logic applies to a stripe, which is thicker in width.
If you study the Food Pyramid carefully, you will notice that some colored bands are thicker at the bottom and taper as they reach the top. This is because, the nutritional value of any food decreases with the way it is prepared. For instance, fresh tomatoes are more nutritious than ketchup, or freshly picked apples will have high nutrition value than a bowl of apple pie. When a food has less nutrition value it is depicted as the thinner band in the pyramid and the foods with more nutrition value would feature as thick bands at the bottom.The Food Pyramid also tells you how many servings of each category of food you must consumer per day. This is one of the most important aspects of the Food Pyramid. This is how you interpret it.
Grains: While whole grains are the best, there are variations of consumption rate for children and adults. It is recommended that children must have 4 to 6 ounces of grains per day, depending on their age and an adult needs 6 ounces of grains for remaining healthy.
Vegetables: One of the most important parts of every one’s daily diet, children must eat half to 2 cups of vegetables per day while adults need to have 2 and a half cups per day. Fruits: While we must have adequate quantities of fruits every day, it is important to note that
packaged fruit juices or canned fruits contain less nutrition value as compared to fresh fruits. While children need one and a half cups per day, adults could do with 2 cups or even more.
Milk and Other Calcium-Rich Foods: For healthy teeth and strong bones, there is no substitute for milk and foods rich in calcium, which you must eat every day. While children need 1 to 2 cups of milk or other foods rich in calcium, adults (especially women who need more calcium) must consume minimum 3 cups of milk or other diary product every day. Meats, Beans, Fish, and Nuts: These foods are considered to be excellent suppliers for iron, one of the most important ingredients needed for good health. It is recommended that children ought to have 3 to 5 ounces of iron and adults need 5 to 8 ounces every day.
The Food Pyramid is an excellent guide for us to know what type of food and in what quantity we are eating every day so that we can monitor our food consumption to live a healthier and better life.
General Health 
Though for decades the Food Pyramid has been the reference point for many people to understand the quantity and type of food they should eat for maintaining optimum health, the Pyramid has now been re-designed since 2005. The new design represents the five major food groups including fats and oils through colored vertical stripes. Here is a reference for quick understanding of the new Food Pyramid and what the individual colors mean: 