Oh, that's easy to understand.

Got a load of the new USDA Food Pyramid. Yeah, that's simple and easy to understand.

I don't get the guy going up the stairs. It represents exercise or acheivement of a goal, which is apparently eating nothing?

Couldn't the government have asked an actual graphic designer worth some salt (but not too much sodium, har har) to design this bad boy? This is the worst in design by committee I've seen in a long time.

The punchline is they redesigned it to make it easier for people to understand. As far as I can tell, if you don't understand the other Food Pyramid, with the big slab for carbs, another slab for fruits and veggies, another slab for meat and dairy and legumes and a little tippy top of refined sugar and butter, what is the matter with you? Each slab had how many of servings of each you were supposed to eat (with additional materials on what constitutes a serving). It was kindergarten compared to this thing. And really, the new pyramid, in trying to take into account that everyone has different needs, is really more of a pointer, or link, if you will, to a website that will break down your recommendations for food and exercise. So it's pretty explicit, if you're willing to do the legwork. Not that that makes it any better.

The ironic thing is that the recommendations have not changed significantly with the exception of adding exercise. Hasn't the government already been pimping exercise for ages? What about the president's fitness council? What kind of idiot do you have to be to not know that you should be getting exercise and eating a lot of veggies?

I was going to try to follow the old pyramid as a lark for a while (I didn't because it would cut into my Frosted Miniwheat habit). But this new pyramid is too ridiculous, and I'm protesting it on the grounds that it is bad design and ugly.

In other news, a recent health study purports to show that being chubby (but not whale-like) is better for your health than being what is considered a "healthy" weight or skinny. I've never been underweight, but I've been everything from thin to chunked out. It is a lot easier to move, hike, lift weights, do kickboxing and aerobics when I'm on the thin side. Also, fewer headaches and illnesses. I'm not sure why.

If the American people find the old pyramid hard to read, it is because they don't want to read it. They don't want to exercise or eat the kinds of foods they have to make for themselves. If they can't read the new pyramid, it's because it is the old pyramid but uglier. Also, it basically expects you to go to a website for your personal interpretation of the pyramid.

Actually, I want to go get my personal recs now. I'll come back and tell you how feasible they are.