Kids Get a Pat on the Back

We asked some nutrition experts about the ideas that kids sent us. The ones they liked best were those that made this connection between the shape and the message the shape sends. What do we mean? Some shapes would be fun to look at, but other shapes help say something about healthy eating.

“It sounds to me like we should have engaged these kids in this decision a long time ago,” Dr. William Dietz said.

Hey, that’s a big compliment to kids! Dr. Dietz has a top job at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), heading up the division on nutrition and physical activity. His job is to figure out ways to help kids and adults eat healthy and get plenty of physical activity.

Another nutrition expert also praised the creative suggestions. Dr. Marion Nestle is a professor at New York University and has written books about food and nutrition.

Dr. Nestle said: “What’s so impressive about the ideas in your set are that they deal with the real issues: eating healthfully, eating less, being active, and not eating too much junk food. Good advice for everyone!”

Dr. Dietz liked the Food Guide Human Body, suggested by McKinzie, 11. She explained her choice this way: “The human body reminds us of the fact that you are what you eat.”

McKinzie made different parts of the body stand for different foods. For instance, the heart would be vegetables because they’re heart-healthy foods. The legs would be grains - for energy. Bones would be dairy products and the arms would be meat to keep your muscles strong. Just the tongue would stand for sweets, fats, and oils, which are “a good thing in small amounts,” she said.

“McKinzie has this right,” Dr. Dietz said.

He also liked suggestions for a Food Guide Star and a Food Guide Sun. Brandi, 9, suggested the sun because of “the beams of health beaming down on us.”

Dietitian Marilyn Tanner also liked the kids’ ideas for the new pyramid. Tanner said it’s a good idea for kids to learn about the Food Guide Pyramid. She teaches a class about healthy habits for kids and parents through St. Louis Children’s Hospital in Missouri. Tanner, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association, says that when kids understand something about eating healthy sometimes they can teach their parents!

“I wish there could be a Pyramid song to go along with it,” she said. Then, like the songs in the old “Schoolhouse Rock” series, kids would know it by heart.

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