Food pyramid

This article from the Financial Times describes how the notion of the food pyramid is under review in the U.S., with much lobbying from all sides. The food pyramid shows how much of our diet should be carbohydrates, protein, fruit, etc. and schools in the States have to follow its recommendations when providing for children. With a third of the U.S. population overweight or obese, it's important that the administration gets this one right, but already interested parties have entered the fray. The Atkins group is trying to reduce the level of carbohydrates the government recommends, while sugar and particularly salt producers feel they could be under threat given the current diabetes rates. The pyramid needs some refinement too, as there's currently no distinction between saturated and unsaturated fats and the standard portions all vary anyway: one portion of fruit is not equal to one portion of leafy vegetables. It begs the question, who understands the pyramid anyway? Show us how much of what food we should be eating on a daily basis for a balanced diet! If nobody can grasp what the pyramid means, the debate about what should be in it will be pretty pointless.