The New Food Guide Pyramid for Children

The New Food Guide Pyramid for children was developed by the United States Department of Agriculture as a tool to help kids eat a healthy diet. A pyramid with stripes of varying colors and thickness is used to indicate the important food groups and serving sizes. The pyramid concept was introduced in 1992 and revised in 2005.

Components

• The Food Guide Pyramid for kids has six different-colored stripes. Orange represents grains, green represents vegetables, red represents fruits, yellow represents fats and oils, blue represents dairy, and purple represents meat, beans, fish and nuts.The USDA hopes that the different colors will remind children to eat foods from each of these groups everyday.

Target Audience and Tools

• The pyramid targets kids aged 6 to 11 years. An online game, printable posters, family tips, coloring pages and worksheets are available at the MyPyramid.gov website.

Physical Activity

• The pyramid also features a staircase on the left side. A cartoon person climbs the stairs as a reminder of the importance of physical activity in maintaining a healthy weight.