MyPyramid: Calorie
Levels
With an emphasis on personalization, the MyPyramid.gov
website assigns you an individual calorie level. Type in your age,
gender and activity range (out of a very general 3 choices – less
than 30 minutes, 30-60 minutes, or more than 60 minutes) and you will
be given a calorie level, which is broken down into your number of servings
from the five food groups and a category termed “discretionary
calories.”
The
problem is that age, gender, and activity level alone do not supply enough
data to make an accurate assessment of your calorie needs. Height, weight,
lean mass and detailed activity information enter into your caloric needs.
For children, growth obviously enters into the caloric equation. If you
have a LOT of extra time and patience, you can utilize the pyramid tracker
feature which takes into account more variables and will give you a more
accurate assessment.
But
because there are inherent differences in our individual metabolic expenditure,
no calculation can accurately predict our calorie needs. That is why a
range of intakes is more useful in a public health effort (such as this).
For consumers who need more specific guidance for weight control, diabetes,
hypertension and other conditions, they should seek assistance from a
registered dietitian,
a professional who can tailor advice to a specific individual.
I'm
an advocate of teaching people body awareness and self monitoring. In
other words, eat according to your appetite. Don't wait until you are
stomach-growling hungry to eat and stop way before it feels like Thanksgiving.
That is why the most recent edition of How to Teach Nutrition to
Kids includes a hunger scale for teaching children “how much
to eat.”
For
adults, pay attention to how your waistband fits and occasionally step
on the scale for a reality check. Children, on the other hand, should
avoid the scale unless it is for their yearly growth check by a trained
medical provider. And, of course, find some type of active play/physical
activity that you can work into your life on a regular basis.
Original Food Guide
Pyramid
|
MyPyramid
for Kids: Review
Note: Normally,
my philosophy is to feature programs, websites, curricula and books
on this website that I endorse and recommend. The reason I am writing
a critical review of the new MyPyramid for Kids is because the program
will likely to be used extensively in schools and programs for children
throughout the nation. I think it is important to understand some of
the limitations and potential problems this new food guide may pose.
The opinions expressed here are entirely my own and do not necessarily
reflect the views of my clients or associates.
MyPyramid Overview
MyPyramid,
the new USDA Food Guidance System, was released with great fanfare in
April 2005.
The much anticipated version for children ages 6-11 was released in
September.
Closely modeled
after the Dietary
Guidelines for Americans, 2005, the messages are generally positive
and emphasize more whole grains, fruit, vegetables, lowfat dairy products
and lean meats. An emphasis on getting fats from oils, nuts and fish
is also a positive change. Most significantly, the guidelines and MyPyramid
emphasize the importance of activity.
The basic design
of MyPyramid is now more of an icon to identify government guidelines
rather than a true food guide or even a real pyramid. The stripes are
color-coded to match the food group recommendations of the 2005 U.S.
Dietary Guidelines. While technically the groups are proportional relative
to how much to include in our diet, this is not obvious from the design.
The previous Food
Guide Pyramid provided a helpful metaphor in terms of building on a
foundation
of whole grains, fruits and vegetables. The “tip” was a nice
visual showing that treats or extras should make up only a small part
of the diet.
For those of us
with the reference point of the "old" food guide pyramid,
the new icon makes some sense. But for those who are young or yet-to-be-born,
the new symbol used alone is not a logical representation of a healthful
diet. While the MyPyramid site explains that the icon represents the
concepts of activity, moderation, personalization, proportionality,
variety, and gradual improvement, the abstract design of vertical stripes
on a triangle with a stick figure running up the side really doesn't
convey these concepts without a lot of explanation. (an aside: a colleague
of mine recently pointed out that the stick figure is actually running
up the pyramid, which points him toward the less nutrient dense foods!)
To utilize MyPyramid
the way it is intended requires a computer, literacy skills and plenty
of time (especially if you want to use the Pyramid or Activity tracker
features). After all this, you may or may not have an accurate guide
of your calorie needs. (see the “Calories and MyPyramid” box
at left).
Children are not just
short adults
I was disappointed
to see that the MyPyramid for Kids is basically the same MyPyramid with
child-friendly graphics. Colorful and fun, yes. But below the surface,
it is the same basic messages that seem to convey that USDA would like
all of us to go on a diet. The kids featured on the poster
vary in ethnicity but all have the same skinny body type. If you look
at the “advanced”
kids poster (which I'm assuming is for the 9-11 year-olds), it tells
them “For an 1800 calorie diet, you need the amounts below from
each food group. To find the amounts that are right for you, go to MyPyramid.gov.”
In other words,
children should use the calorie allowances prescribed by the adult version
of MyPyramid. This is misguided on many levels. First of all, not all
children need to lose weight. Secondly, overweight children should be
focusing on healthy living choices that depend on family, school and
community cooperation, and lastly, children who restrict their food/calorie
intake at a young age often struggle with food and weight issues well
into adulthood.
Blast off to.... calorie
restriction?
The one feature
of the new MyPyramid for kids that I cannot endorse is the “MyPyramid
Blast Off” game. The basic premise of the game is that when you
select a variety of foods within a specific energy (calorie) allowance
and include 60 minutes of daily activity, your rocket ship will blast
off successfully to “Planet Power.”
While the game
has fun graphics and encourages kids to select the recommended number
of foods from all food groups, a disturbing feature is that it restricts
the “fuel” level to between 1600 - 2000 for most children.
Most kids will eventually realize that the “fuel” gauge is
really referring to calories. The “fuel gauge level “ is based
on very scant information – a user enters his/her name, age and
gender. This is a thinly disguised attempt at restricting calories,
in my view. The game is very strict in terms of “fuel” and
the rocket will not get off the ground, even if it's over by 10 calories!
Another very curious
feature of the game is that it requires players to “charge their
activity battery” with 60 minutes of activity (kids can't plug
in any more than this and if they have fewer than 60 minutes, they won't
make it all the way to “Planet Power”). But once you add your
activity, it doesn't change your fuel requirements. In other words,
you don't get to spend more calories if you are more active, an inaccurate
and illogical concept.
Here are some real
examples of scenarios that I played with:
- When I was a 10
year old girl who bicycled 60 minutes a day, I was allowed 1800 calories.
I met all the food group requirements but my fuel tank was at 1810.
The result: no blastoff to “Planet Power.” When I lowered
my intake to 1710 calories, it told me I had “just the right amount
of fuel!”
- As an 11 year-old
who danced 60 minutes, my food groups were met but my fuel tank was
at just 1430 (even though I was supposed to eat 1800). The result:
I blasted off just fine to “Planet Power.” Again, my report
said I had “just the right amount of fuel!” I went back and
modified it to include 3 cans of cola. Since I was still within the
calorie allowance, my rocket ship made it to Planet Power (no warning
was given about sugar or drinking too many empty calories).
- As an 8 year-old
boy, I was involved in 60 minutes of football and ate just 1570 calories.
My “fuel tank” limit was 1600 calories, far too few for my
level of activity. I ate all the food groups and tried to have ice cream
for dessert but that put me over the 1600 calories limit. (It also displayed
a big fat warning). So I added a cupcake, which was within my caloric
allowance.
- When I was a 7
year-old girl who needed 1600 calories in my fuel tank, my rocket again
blasted off just fine at a mere 1105 calories (see screen shot below).
As long as I ate all the food groups in recommended amounts, there was
no concern that I was 500 calories below my recommended “fuel tank.”
I was active with 30 minutes of gymnastics and 30 minutes of inline
skating.
Just a game?
Some of my colleagues
think I'm taking this way too seriously and that it is “just a
game” designed to teach/reinforce good eating habits. For many
kids, they will play it once or twice, they may even get a better grasp
of food groups, recommended numbers of servings, and serving sizes and
it will be a mostly positive experience.
But there will
be children who are disappointed that the rocket won't blast off after
they input the healthy foods that they would really eat in a day. They
may start to wonder whether they should eat less, and they will get
rewarded by the game if they restrict their calorie choices. This is
a very bad message to send kids, particularly when we have a growing
problem with eating disorders as well as childhood obesity.
My recommendation
Eliminate the “fuel” aspect of the game. We don't want
to put children on restrictive diets, and this game doesn't elicit enough
information from kids to determine an accurate calorie level (oops,
I mean fuel tank level). If you can't do it in a positive, thoughtful
and accurate way, then just stick with teaching children the food groups,
the range of servings for good health, and the importance of staying
active and making mostly healthful food choices. Most importantly, encourage
children to learn to listen to their bodies, take reasonable portion
sizes, eat when they are hungry (not sad, bored, or frustrated) and
quit eating when they are full.
Connie's Bottom line
Rising obesity
rates in America have resulted in a misguided attempt to restrict children's
caloric intake. We should instead focus on building positive and healthy
environments for children and focus on the roles and responsibilities
of families, schools, the food industry, health professionals, media,
and legislators. Offering children mostly healthful food choices at
schools, restaurants, and at home, celebrating family meals, and providing
plenty of opportunity for play and activity are positive
steps we can take for our kids.
Two positive tools
that you can find on the nutritionforkids.com website:
NUTRITION
FOR YOUR CHILD: Ten Steps to a Healthy Weight
30
Ways you can Promote a Positive Nutrition Culture
|
