The new food pyramid, presented to the public April 19, will replace the block pyramid that had been in place since 1992 to encourage healthier dietary habits based on physical traits and exercise.

Unlike the old pyramid, the new one features six colored rays going from the bottom of the pyramid to the top and a set of steps with a person walking up them on its side. The pyramid was designed this way to emphasize vigorous physical activity and not make one group of foods look more important than another, said Becky Roach, a teaching associate of Contemporary Nutrition at the University.

“With the old pyramid, people thought the fats and sweets were more important because they were at the top,” Roach said. “With the new one, there’s less of that perception.”

The other main difference between the two pyramids is the adaptability of the new pyramid. Robin Orr, extension specialist at the University and vice president for the Society for Nutrition Education, said that since the old pyramid was created as a general guideline from the government it never had specifics for individual diets. The new pyramid provides a personalized diet for anyone based on age, amount of exercise and gender.

The personalization is what some students like about the new pyramid.

“My nutritional level is a lot different from a 70-year-old man’s,” said Carrie Flott, a freshman in FAA at the University. She said she also liked that the new pyramid places a larger emphasis on physical activity because she feels that people do not get outside enough.

“I like to do a lot of physical activities like swimming or working out and I know after I do those things I always feel better about myself,” Flott said.

Orr said the changes to the pyramid will make it more accessible because it brings the pyramid to people and gives them a more specific diet they can follow. While the serving sizes have not changed too much, the new pyramid gives measurements for the serving size, instead of 3-5 servings of vegetables, the pyramid might say 3.5 cups of vegetables, making it easier for the average person to know how much to eat.

In addition to quantifying serving sizes, the new pyramid specifies different kinds of foods within each category. The main change is with the grains section, which now says that at least half of all grains consumed should come from whole grains. Also, the pyramid emphasizes eating a variety of vegetables instead of just one or two kinds.

“This is the first time the government made this much effort to personalize (nutrition),” Orr said.

The pyramid is derived from dietary guidelines published by the government every five years, Orr said. The new guidelines, from which Orr said much of the pyramid is based on, were published in January.

Orr said the new pyramid will have the biggest impact in K-12 lunchrooms because Type 2 diabetes is on the rise among younger children due to poor diets. Orr, who teaches children and their parents – especially in low-income areas – about nutrition and cooking, said the pyramid makes it easier for people to see what they have to do.

But Roach said the pyramid has come under fire because it seems confusing to people. She said anything that makes people think about nutrition is a good thing, as long as it does not confuse them too much.

Since the University’s residence halls already provide a wide variety of food, Orr said she thinks that the pyramid will not make too much of an impact. The major changes involve personalizing the pyramid, which is something the residence hall cafeterias do not worry about.