The food pyramid has undergone a number of changes since I was in primary/secondary school. But it's always been a color-coded puzzle to navigate that allows for cheating like pretty much ever other 'plan' out there. Even as we've been told what amount was recommended per day, etc. the pyramid has always implied that these handful of things are good for you therefore, eating them is good for you - recommended amounts are just that - recommended. People can always decide to fill their plate with meats, potatoes, and other goodies they like and only pay cursory attention to the rest. I think that's been the problem. These recommendations don't really say much about portion control, ways to make these suggestions, etc. Also, there are many different varieties of food pyramids out there - from the USDA's pyramid to ones to address the needs of women, children, breastfeeding women, people with specific illnesses, etc. As in many other things, there is an information overload with little consistency beyond recommending more fruits and vegetables. But when there are debates ranging from classrooms to work cafeterias over what constitutes a vegetable - i.e. is a potato still a vegetable if it's been deep fried? - the ability of people to make conscious and informed decisions is equally up for debate.
I know what vegetables look like but don't ask me to cook them...pretty much lost there. The new pyramid reportedly looks like a plate and is more about the all important issue of portion control over recommended servings. Serving size delusion is what's killing Americans and leading to obesity. Our fast food, super-sized way of life is the problem. I cannot wait to see the new Pyramid and how it fits in with the 2010 guidelines.
Some examples of current food pyramids:
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