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What is the food guide pyramid recommended by the U.S. Department of Agriculture?

The food guide pyramid is an outline of suggested food groups to be included in the human diet. It urges that people consume a variety of foods. It recommends limiting—but not excluding—fatty foods. In assessing diet, an individual's average food intake over a period of a few days is more important than the food consumed in a single meal.

Sources: FDA Consumer, vol. 27, number 4, part 2 (May 1993); FDA Consumer Special Report: Focus on Food Labeling; U.S. Department of Agriculture. USDA's Food Guide Pyramid. Home and Garden Bulletin, no. 249 (1992), pp. 2-5.

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