I chose this commonly used chart that depicts what healthy eating the United States should look like. Off the batt, I noticed that the pyramid only lists five good groups, but reveals six divisions of color, with the smallest section being the yellow one–a section that is unlabeled. I wonder if yellow is supposed to represent a room in one’s diet for more unhealthy foods, but it seems pretty ambiguous. I also think that the tagline “steps to a healthier you” is misleading, because the chart does not discuss other aspects of health such as exercise, sleep, and therapy. Rather, it shows a figure walking up to the top of the pyramid, implying that if you eat these foods, you will be at peak health. Furthermore. the width of each section within the pyramid does not adequately reveal how much of these foods one should eat. Finally, it refers to the dairy section as solely “milk” and the protein section as “meat & beans,” leaving out options for people with diatary restrictions. The MyPlate graphic was developed in response to the misleading information within this graph.
Seeing this graph was very nostalgic for me, as we were shown this exact graph all the time in elementary school! But now looking at it and evaluating it after reading your response to it, I agree with you that it is very misleading. It also does not mention what a good amount of each section/food type would be to eat, as although there is some difference in the color section sizes, it is not noticeable enough for anyone looking at it to determine how much to eat of each type of food to be healthy.
I appreciated your choice of graphic as I remember being shown this particular graph many times in elementary school to emphasize the importance of nutrition. Of course back then I did not have the critical analysis skills I currently have. So upon seeing this graph again many years later, I very much agree with your observations that it is very misleading. At least they did attempt to remedy some of their mistakes by making a new graphic (the MyPlate) to use when educating people in the future.
Like Nichole said, this graph gives me so many elementary school P.E. memories. But I think as you mentioned it only provides a snapshot of what you need to be healthy as do many graphics focusing on health. You don’t have to eat healthy all of the time in order to be a healthy person nor should you only eat healthy and not exercise at all and expect to be healthy. There is a balance to all of this when it comes to health and this graphic does not show the bigger picture that balances a healthy lifestyle along with reality and our happiness (we all crave some sweet things from time to time).
I also was shown this graph through elementary school, and remember that I always thought it was strange. According to this, I should drink more milk than I eat vegetables and eat more grains than any other food group. I’m not sure if this is true, but I remember someone telling me that these graphs were made by the wheat and dairy farmers and not actual nutritionists, which makes sense seeing as they don’t correspond to any actual nutritional science that I know of.
This graph to me, like many others, was a staple of my elementary and even middle school education on fitness and health. In saying that, I wonder if, we were going to re-do this visual with the increase in food nutrition that we have now if this diagram would change. Also, I am interested if this graph would change in other cultures that focus on obtaining the majority of their nutrients in different forms, and/or that place different emphasis on different food categories than we do here in the United States.
I remember being shown this chart all of the time in elementary school! I also remember when my health teachers started to move away from it in middle school. Like you pointed out, this chart does not show everything that encompasses being a healthy person. I think that the MyPlate graphic you mention has the same broader issues however, as it still only focuses on what you should eat instead of everything that makes a healthy lifestyle.