The US Department of Agriculture has finally revised their pyramid from the outdated (lots and lots of refined carbs) previous version.

First, let me praise the positive changes:

• it's great to see that they included exercise as being hand-in-hand with diet; it's something I need to work on, and my biggest problem in terms of overall physical wellness
• the purple "meat and beans" slice is small and recommends lean meats, fish, beans and legumes; it's amazing that a goverment agency that is heavily influenced by the cattle industry was able to do this
• the differentiation between whole grains and refined ones is more important than simple vs. complex (e.g. white pasta, rice, bread)

Now the bad:

• it's too damn complicated; not only is the diagram confusing, it's customizeable
• potatoes are not a vegetable; they are nutritionally more akin to grains (unlike other "root vegetables" like, say, carrots, garlic and radishes)
• you don't need dairy every day; it's much healthier to get your calcium and protein from vegetables
• beans are mentioned twice — under vegetables and under meat and beans — I try to eat them often, but what a weird typo
• the yellow "fats" slice is too tiny; a sizeable amount of unsaturated fats (e.g. olives, seeds, nuts and their oils) is a part of heart-healthy diet

It's definitely a step in the right direction, though, for people smart enough to understand it.

update They should have just adopted the Healthy Eating Pyramid.

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