Revealing MyPyramid
and the Athlete
Family and Consumer Science
Conference
Provo, Utah
June 15-16, 2009
Revealing MyPyramid
and the Athlete
By Joan Thompson, Ph.D., R.D.,C.D.
Associate Professor of Nutrition
Weber State University
Overview
• MyPyramid
• The Food Groups
• The health benefits of
consuming each
group
• How well does the
tool support sport
nutrition
• Conclusions
What is MyPyramid?
• It is the 21st century
Food Guide tool for
Americans
• It was released by the
United States
Department of
Agriculture in 2005
• Visit mypyramid.gov
What is MyPyramid?
• The MyPyramid is a personalized diet
plan based on age, gender body weight
and activity.
• There is Calorie Control provided to
achieve a healthy body weight.
• It is web-based, easy to use and
provides loads of nutrition information.
What is MyPyramid?
• It encourages the consumption of whole
grains, a variety of vegetables, fruits, fatfree or low-fat milk or milk alternatives,
low fat meat and beans, and healthy
plant oils.
• It discourages the excessive intakes of
sugar and solid fats, as well as a
sedentary lifestyle.
What are the Food Groups?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Grains
Vegetables
Fruits
Oils
Milk
Meat and Beans
[Discretionary Calories]
Grains
Make ½ whole grain
represented by the Orange area
• Health Benefits:
Grains reduce heart
disease, neural tube
defects during fetal
development, and
both constipation
and obesity when
eaten as whole
grains.
Vegetables
include those high in vitamin C & A
represented by the Green area
• Health Benefits:
Vegetables reduce
cardiovascular disease,
heart disease, stroke,
type 2 diabetes, some
cancers, kidney stones,
and bone loss. Eating
vegetables that are low in
calories instead of highercalorie foods may be
useful in helping to lower
Calorie intake.
Vegetables
include those high in vitamin C & A
represented by the Green area
•
•
•
•
•
•
Subgroups:
Dark green
orange
legumes
starchy
other
Fruit
include those high in vitamin C & A
represented by the Red area
• Health Benefits:
Fruits reduce
cardiovascular
disease, heart
disease, stroke, type
2 diabetes, some
cancers, kidney
stones, and bone
loss.
Milk
chose fat-free or low-fat
represented by the Blue area
• Health Benefits:
Milk products
reduce the risk of
low bone mass
throughout the life
cycle and may
prevent
osteoporosis.
Meat & Beans
choose lean or low-fat
represented by the Purple area
• Health Implications:
Foods in the meat and
beans group provide
nutrients that are vital for
health and body
maintenance. However,
choosing foods from this
group that are high in
saturated fat and
cholesterol may increase
the risk for heart disease.
Oils
Healthy fats
represented by the Yellow area
• Health Benefits:
Oils are essential
for cardiovascular
health.
• Health
Implications: The
intake of too much
increases
inflammation and
cancer risk.
Discretionary Calories (DC)
• Is a allocated amount of Calories from
Hazardous Biological Molecules that
decrease nutrient density in the diet!
• DCs are calories from solid fats and added
sugars.
• For every gram of sugar count 4 Calories.
• For every gram of fat count 9 Calories.
Discretionary Calories
• Solid fats: Solid fats are solid at room temperature,
like butter and shortening. Solid fats come from
many animal foods, can be made from vegetable oils
through hydrogenation, and are found naturally in
coconut and palm plant foods.
• Common solid fats are: Butter, shortening, stick
margarine, and beef, chicken, and pork fat.
• Foods high in solid fats include: many cheeses,
creams, ice creams, well-marbled cuts of meats,
regular ground beef, bacon, sausages, poultry skin,
many baked goods (such as cookies, crackers,
donuts, pastries, and croissants).
Discretionary Calories
• Added Sugars: Added sugars are sugars and syrups
that are added to foods or beverages during processing
or preparation. This does not include naturally occurring
sugars such as those that occur in milk and fruits.
• Ingredients shown on food labels of processed foods
indicate added sugar: brown sugar, corn sweetener,
corn syrup, dextrose, fructose, fruit juice concentrates,
glucose, high-fructose corn syrup, honey, invert sugar,
lactose, maltose, malt syrup, molasses, raw sugar,
sucrose, sugar, and syrup
Discretionary Calories
• The Allowance amounts of the DC in a food
intake pattern after accounting for the
Calories needed for all food groups—using
forms of foods that are fat-free or low-fat and
with very little added sugars.
• The discretionary Calorie allowance is small:
Most adults will not be in compliance
consuming 1 can of coke and a medium order
of fries, as we will see.
Back to the Question?
• How well does the MyPyramid
recommendations support the athlete's
nutritional needs?
• The research selected four groups to
evaluate: Female and Male groups of 17
years old and 22 years old with
• Female weight groups 120, 140 and 160
• Male weight groups 150, 170, 190
Research Method
• Using the MyPyramid.gov site, the calorie
levels for each group of athletes was
determined
• The MyPyramid food pattern was used to
perform diet analyses using the ESHA Diet
Analyses plus software version 8.0.
• Then sports nutrition recommendations
were used to interpret the diet analysis for
nutritional adequacy.
Results: My Pyramid Food Intake Patterns
for Calorie Control
Calorie
Grains
Vegies
Fruits
Milk
M&B
Oils
DCs
2400
8 oz
3c
2c
3c
6.5 oz
7 tsp
362
2600
9 oz
3.5 c
2c
3c
6.5 oz
8 tsp
410
3000
10 oz
4c
2.5 c
3c
7 oz
10 tsp
512
3200
10 oz
4c
2.5 c
3c
7 oz
11 tsp
648
Vegetable Subgroups
Calorie
2400
2600
3000
3200
Dark
Green
Orange
3c
3c
3c
3c
2c
2.5 c
2.5 c
2.5
Dry
Beans
Starchy
3c
3.5 c
3.5 c
3.5 c
6c
7c
9c
9c
Other
7c
8.5 c
10 c
10 c
A Comparison of MyPyramid to
DA+
Female
MyPyramid
Age 17
Cal Rec Cal Rec Differ
Prot
Rec
Gm/kg
120 lbs
2400
2370
30
0.85
140 lbs
2400
2489
-89
0.85
160 lbs
2600
2608
-8
0.85
DA Plus Calorie
A Comparison of MyPyramid to
DA+
Female
MyPyramid
Age 22
Cal Rec Cal Rec Differ
Prot
Rec
Gm/kg
120 lbs
2400
2371
29
0.8
140 lbs
2400
2479
-79
0.8
160 lbs
2600
2587
13
0.8
DA Plus Calorie
A Comparison of MyPyramid to
DA+
Male
MyPyramid
Age 17
Cal Rec Cal Rec Differ
Prot
Rec
Gm/kg
150 lbs
3200
3344
-144
0.85
170 lbs
3200
3649
-449
0.85
190 lbs
3200
3955
-755
0.85
DA Plus Calorie
A Comparison of MyPyramid to
DA+
Male
MyPyramid
Age 22
Cal Rec Cal Rec Differ
Prot
Rec
Gm/kg
150 lbs
3000
2988
45
0.8
170 lbs
3200
3168
32
0.8
190 lbs
3200
3348
-148
0.8
DA Plus Calorie
A Comparison of MyPyramid to
DA+: Dietary Analysis
Female
Age 17
Calorie Percent
Intake of My
Pyramid
Percent Protein
of
Intake
DA Plus Gm/kg
Carb
Intake
Gm/kg
120 lbs 2213
92.2
93.4
2.1
5.2
140 lbs 2213
92.2
88.9
1.8
4.5
160 lbs 2589
99.5
99.3
1.7
4.6
A Comparison of MyPyramid to
DA+: Dietary Analysis
Female
Age 22
Calorie Percent
Intake of My
Pyramid
Percent Protein
of
Intake
DA Plus Gm/kg
Carb
Intake
Gm/kg
120 lbs 2213
92.2
93.3
2.1
5.2
140 lbs 2213
92.2
89.3
1.8
4.5
160 lbs 2589
99.5
100
1.7
4.6
A Comparison of MyPyramid to
DA+: Dietary Analysis
Male
Calorie Percent
Intake of My
Age 17
Percent Protein
of
Intake
Pyramid DA Plus Gm/kg
Carb
Intake
Gm/kg
150 lbs
3262
102
97.5
2.2
6.1
170 lbs
3262
102
89.4
1.8
5.4
190 lbs
3262
102
82.5
1.6
4.8
A Comparison of MyPyramid to
DA+: Dietary Analysis
Male
Age 22
150
lbs
170
lbs
190
lbs
Calorie Percent Percent Protein
Intake of My
of
Intake
Pyramid DA Plus Gm/kg
Carb
Intake
Gm/kg
3050
102
102
2.1
6.1
3262
102
102
1.8
5.4
3262
102
97.4
1.6
4.8
A Comparison of MyPyramid to DA+: Dietary Analysis
MyPyr
Cal DA
%Prot
% CHO
% Fat
%PUFA
%sugar
Gm/100
IA vit
IA min
Sodium
2400
2213
21
51
29
10
28
1.3
E
K+,Ca++
1999
2600
2589
19
51
30
9
28
1.2
E
K+,Ca++
2111
3000
3050
18
52
30
9
27
1.3
3200
3262
17
51
32
10
27
1.2
K+
2200
K+
2267
Needed Adjustments
• By reducing total fat intake by 10 % of total
calories, and
• Increasing CHO intake by 10% of total
calories
• which is recommended as a sporty diet,
• grams of CHO per kg bwt was put into a
better range.
• This results in the following dietary
changes:
Resulting Adjustments
MyPyramid
Calorie
2400
2213
2600
2589
3000
3050
3200
3262
19
61
20
+65
-29
18
62
20
+76
-34
17
61
22
+82
-36
Intake
% Prot 21
% CHO 61
% Fat
19
Gm CHO +55
Gm Fat -24
Adjusted Results
Female
Carbs
gm/kg
Adj
Carbs
Prot
gm/kg
Age 17
Male
Carbs
gm/kg
Adj
Carbs
Prot
gm/kg
Age 17
120 lbs
5.2
6.2
2.1
150 lbs
6.1
7.3
2.1
140 lbs
4.5
5.3
1.8
170 lbs
5.4
6.5
1.8
160 lbs
4.6
5.5
1.7
190 lbs
4.8
5.8
1.6
Age 22
Age 22
120 lbs
5.2
6.2
2.1
150 lbs
6.1
7.0
2.1
140 lbs
4.5
5.3
1.8
170 lbs
5.4
6.5
1.8
160 lbs
4.6
5.5
1.7
190 lbs
4.8
5.8
1.6
Adjustments in My Pyramid Food Intake
Patterns for the Athlete
Calorie
Grains
Vegies
Fruits
Milk
M&B
Oils
DCs
2400
2600
3000
3200
8oz /10
9oz /11
10oz /13
10oz /14
3c
3.5 c
4c
4c
2c /2.5
2c /3
2.5c /3.5
2.5c /3.75
3c
3c
3c
3c
6.5oz /5.5 6.5oz /5.5 7oz /6
7oz /5
7tsp /4
8tsp /4
10tsp /5
11tsp /5
362
410
512
648
In Conclusion
• MyPyramid recommends a high protein,
moderate CHO and fat diet.
• To support more rigorous activity, more
carbohydrate and less fat would be
recommended.
• Protein rich foods and oils needed to be
reduced and grains and fruits needed to
be increased.
In Conclusion
• Athletes need to
consult a dietitian to
be prescribed the
optimal diet to support
their performance.
• There is not a public
sector tool available
to support the athlete.