10 Food Pyramids From Around The World

The US Food Pyramid may be dead, but many countries around the world still look to the pyramid to convey nutritional advice for its citizens. Americans now can get used to the new MyPlate design -- which is similar to Spain, Australia and Britain's, by the way -- but in China, Poland, and elsewhere, we've found some creativity.

We also found a lot of similarities between the ways countries tell their citizens to eat -- and some differences. While most of the guidelines propose a similar ratio of proteins, grains, fruits, vegetables, and dairy to the U.S.'s MyPlate, some contain regionally specific advice. It is clear that dietary images worldwide struggle to strike a balance between comprehensive but chaotic information (see Germany's 3D pyramid) and simple design with few specifics (see Hungary's house).

Here on Food Republic, co-founder Marcus Samuelsson noted last week that the rest of the world looks to the US as a leader, so we'll see if other countries jettison the pyramid for the plate. In the meantime, here's a look at 10 of the most visually stimulating food guideline charts from around the world.

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UK's Eatwell Plate

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What the?! You mean, the British already beat us to the plate thing, and theirs is way more involved that our basic MyPlate? We're not sure about the Eatwell branding (sounds like it's a nutritional offshoot of J. Crew), but it's split up into five sections that pretty much cover all the bases. Then again, it kind of crams a lot of information onto one little plate, so maybe the new MyPlate is better for its simplicity. Take that, UK. U-S-A! U-S-A! More About British Food: 5 Great British Beers

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What the?! You mean, the British already beat us to the plate thing, and theirs is way more involved that our basic MyPlate? We're not sure about the Eatwell branding (sounds like it's a nutritional offshoot of J. Crew), but it's split up into five sections that pretty much cover all the bases. Then again, it kind of crams a lot of information onto one little plate, so maybe the new MyPlate is better for its simplicity. Take that, UK. U-S-A! U-S-A!

More About British Food: 5 Great British Beers

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Comments

[PolPrairieMama]

04:00 PM on 07/09/2011

The biased opinion of the person writing the descriptions to each slide is very apparent. His or her opinions on what is the correct diet is also very apparent. Unless they are a nutritionist, I don't feel I wanted to read their opinion on this Instead, I wanted to read their unbiased presentation of each of these countries versions of the "Food Pyramid".

Each country has it's own way of looking at food and therefor it's own ways of looking at a "Food Pyramid". To say that all are wrong but the USA is simply ridiculous.

[HealthNutCorner]

03:41 AM on 06/27/2011

France, China, Greece, Germany, Japan, Slovenia, Spain all have water physical activity within their models. Solvenia and Germany models seem complex. Only for models included the consumption of water/ French chart seems to promotes more consumption of veggies & fruit over staples for energy. Poland's food guide is interesting, in that meat & fish are minimal protein sources

[AdrianaBWhite]

12:26 PM on 06/24/2011

Granted, olive oil shouldn't be consumed as much as fresh fruits + veggies...but why such a noticably negative tone on Spain? You're covering a nutrition guide, it shouldn't be personal.

[nrharris2008]

02:41 PM on 06/18/2011

There should be one universal food plate/pyramid. You'd think we're part of different species with all these freakin' plates and pyramids. Shouldn't ALL human beings have the same nutritional requirements?

[solinkaa]

04:15 AM on 07/10/2011

What there should be is everyone recognising what is good for them to eat. For instance, there are people with sensitivity to sugar (this is not diabetes), who rely on fat and protein to function properly. Also, it seems evident that since traditional cooking at home has ceased, the consumption of junk food, which are mostly carbs with very little nutritional value (like pizza) has risen, and with it obesity and diabetes. In addition, these pyramids and nutritional advice changes every few years (eg eggs and oils, which were once designated as bad, are now widely recognised as very beneficial). The best thing to do is to observe how your body reacts to certain foods and read some stuff by doctors who understand about how your body processes food. Basically you're right, humans do all have similar nutritional requirements, but the advice from nutritionists has been consistently wrong for years.

[Lynne Wilson Hass]

12:05 AM on 06/14/2011

Interesting

[The Revolving Diet]

01:16 PM on 06/13/2011

Too many fast food choices that are convenient and cheap. In addition packaging for snack sized bags that should be 1 serving are packed for 2-3 servings.

It's great to have food pyramids to tell you what you should be eating - - but the bottom line is unless fast food can be made to be tasty, healthy, cheap and convenient (in the correct sizes) ...OR we take control of our own health,we will just keep getting heavier....

that's why it seems a new diet comes out practically weekly

[HerrMonk]

12:08 PM on 06/12/2011

...yes, sometimes bad ideas become universally accepted...

[ToddlerJ]

08:39 PM on 06/11/2011

I vote for the images that include physical activity and water. Everything else in moderation. And to the extent you can get fresh local and regional foods, it expands any chart.

[Anil Minocha]

01:01 PM on 06/11/2011

The governments across the world are valiantly trying to get their citizens to eat healthy so they can be healthy. Practicing in Sherevport, La, I find that just like most other parts of the world, people are getting fatter despite all these well-intentioned advice and guidelines even though sometimes flawed due to business and political intrusions. As the saying goes, you can take the horse/camel etc to the water, you can't make it drink.

[solinkaa]

04:32 AM on 07/10/2011

People are getting fatter because the well intentioned advice is wrong and has been wrong for years! Moderation is all very well, but telling people to go hungry, for instance by telling them to eat fat free and subsist on salads? There are some vitamins and minerals which are only soluble in oils, for instance calcium, so a fat free milk or yoghurt has zero nutritional value, and even less if it is sweetened. If people go hungry, of course they will reach for sweet snacks between meals. Doctors who know about biochemistry will tell you to ditch fat free, cook at home, limit your fruit and fruit juice intake (sugars), limit your sugar intake overall, and basically cook tasty meals at home and eat until you feel satisfied. And then train yourself to abstain from snacks, which is much easier once you are actually well fed. Also, many people don't know how to recognise hypoglycaemia and sensitivity to sugar. They literally can't stop eating because of these conditions, which can be debilitating, and go on to obesity and diabetes unless managed properly.

[frank day]

07:53 AM on 06/11/2011

I vote for Slovenia.

[captainspirou]

08:12 PM on 06/10/2011

The French one seems to be the only one that advises eating more fruit and vegetables over grain. In my opinion it's also the only right one.

[Matt W Howatt]

05:08 PM on 06/10/2011

the "Honest Food Guide" is pretty interesting too

[ZioiPro]

04:47 PM on 06/10/2011

Good

[Steph Monster]

03:28 PM on 06/10/2011

One day maybe there will be a global vegan pyramid
http://www.fourgreensteps.com/infozone/world-news/general/un-urges-global-shift-towards-vegan-diet

[HerrMonk]

12:09 PM on 06/12/2011

I hope not.

[Vivian Alicia Evans]

02:33 PM on 06/10/2011

I trust any government info on diet as far as I can spit.