Researchers at Tufts' Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (HNRCA) have published an updated food guide pyramid for aging adults, which includes a graphic illustration to build on a previous version of the pyramid the center developed in 1999.
The new pyramid will bring Tufts' food pyramid for aging adults in line with food guide pyramids released for the general population by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 2005. Along with the 2005 pyramids, the Department of Agriculture created a Web-based computer program, MyPyramid, which allows users to calculate the amount of nutrients and exercise they need.
As many elderly adults are not proficient with the Internet, MyPyramid ended up being difficult for them to use, said Alice Lichtenstein, director of the Cardiovascular Nutrition Laboratory at HNRCA. This led her team to create the new food pyramid as a graphic image, which she hopes will be easier for the elderly to access and understand.
The pyramid stresses the importance of consuming non-fat dairy products, lean meats, whole grains and nutrient-dense foods like deeply colored vegetables.
Lichtenstein explained the findings in her team's report, the "Modified MyPyramid for Older Adults," which provides nutritional advice for people over 70. The team published the report and the image in December.
"Some [pieces of advice] are practical, some are nutritional," Lichtenstein said of the updates to the pyramid.
The first major change to the pyramid deals with the specific types of food that elderly people need. "Older adults need fewer calories, but their nutrient needs are the same [as those of younger adults] or higher," Lichtenstein said.
Lichtenstein and her team added levels to the foundation of the pyramid based on their study's findings. At the bottom of the new pyramid image sits a row of drinking glasses, emphasizing that older adults need to focus on fluid balance, for they are more prone to dehydration than younger people.
The second addition depicts adults engaging in physical activity. "It doesn't necessarily mean that they have to go a gym every day," Lichtenstein said, explaining that many activities not normally thought of as exercise can help with weight control.
The pyramid illustrates examples of such activities, which include mowing the lawn or going for a walk.
The final major change to the pyramid takes into consideration the fact that older adults have a harder time cooking for themselves. "Arthritis and cold weather makes it harder for them to consume what we consider healthier foods," Lichtenstein said.
"There are now things that are in the market ... like bags of frozen vegetables, so you don't have to go to the grocery store so frequently," she added.
The new pyramid depicts these foods with images of frozen, pre-portioned and pre-cut vegetables.
The traditional food guide pyramid, adorned with bread and cereal packages, was phased out in 2005 after decades of prominence. Newer pyramids feature vertical lines and variable designs based on age.
Lichtenstein and her team developed a food-pyramid image for the elderly in 1999 that was similar to the graphic version put out last month. But the 1999 model lacked certain features, like the images of easier-to-eat foods and frequent daily exercise.
"We wanted a single icon to highlight the certain points," she said of the new design.
She added that her team was unaware of the large extent to which their 1999 pyramid was being used and published, another factor that led to their decision to redesign it.
She hopes that the new pyramid will be used and published as much as the 1999 version was. "I would hope the usage would be about the same because the demographics in the United States are shifting more towards the older age group," she said.
Lichtenstein stressed that points highlighted by the new pyramid are beneficial for all age groups, including those in their late teens and early twenties.
"All these issues that I've mentioned for older adults pertain to younger people. They should also be concerned about fluids, low-fat or non-fat dairy products," she said. "All these things are consistent with preventing chronic disease in younger adults."
Patrick Webb, the academic dean at Tufts' Freidman School of Nutrition and Science Policy, expressed his enthusiasm about the research being done at the HNRCA.
"That's one of the things the school always tries to do ... not just develop cutting edge research but translat[ing] it for people in ways ... that can be beneficial to society," he said.
