Spanish version of food pyramid released

Almost three of every four adult Hispanics in the U.S. are overweight

	The Spanish language-version of the USDA's food pyramid.
J. Pat Carter / AP

Hot mamas

Real-life moms show off their post-baby bodies. Readers' photos.

Diet and fitness videos

Tamiflu-resistant swine flu investigated
July 8: U.S. health officials are holding a summit to prepare for a new surge of swine flu in the fall. Dr. Nancy Snyderman discusses the dangers from swine flu with emergency medicine experts Dr. Tucker Woods and Dr. Maurice Ramirez.

Healthy eating for your family

Agriculture Dept. steps up food safety

Is coffee really good for you?

Obesity rates increase nationwide

Smart Fitness — By Jacqueline Stenson

Capri pants bare scourge of summer: ‘cankles’
Still obsessing about how your dimpled thighs, jelly belly or flappy arms look in a swimsuit? That’s so last summer. This year, there’s a new body part to fret over: the cankle.

‘Phantom fat’ can linger after weight loss

Exercise not likely to rev up your metabolism

Power lunch? Squeeze in a speedy workout

Want a swimsuit bod? 6 moves you’re not doing

updated 3:50 p.m. ET Dec. 7, 2005

MIAMI - Alarmed by the high rate of obesity among Hispanics, the U.S. Department of Agriculture released its first Spanish translation Wednesday of the food pyramid, the government's handy guide to good nutrition.

"MiPiramide: Pasos Hacia Una Mejor Salud" is the counterpart to the USDA's "MyPyramid: Steps to a Healthier You." Among other things, "grains" have become "granos," and "meat and beans" are "carnes y frijoles" on the diagram of the major food groups.

The nation's Hispanic population is booming, and almost three out of every four adult Hispanics in the U.S. are overweight, according to a 2002 report in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Two out of three U.S. adults overall are overweight.

Story continues below ↓

advertisement | your ad here

"Obesity has reached epidemic proportions in the United States, especially in children and adolescents. Those statistics are even more alarming among Latin populations," Roberto Salazar, administrator for the USDA's food and nutrition service, said in Spanish at a news conference.

The government unveiled "MyPyramid" in April, overhauling the food pyramid first introduced in 1992.

The 1992 pyramid had food groups arranged in horizontal layers, with the foods that should be eaten more frequently along the bottom. The newer pyramid has categories of foods represented vertically in a rainbow of colors, and a running figure scaling the pyramid to represent the importance of exercise.

Now, all the new graphics and the USDA's Web site are available in Spanish, and handouts and other materials have also been translated.

In September, officials launched a version of the pyramid targeted at children, and the materials have also been translated into Braille. The government has no plans to translate the information into any other languages, Salazar said.

The announcement was made in Miami because of its large Hispanic population and its many Hispanic media organizations.

Florida is one of seven states with 1 million or more Hispanic residents, according to the 2000 Census. California and Texas top the list, followed by New York, Florida, Illinois, Arizona and New Jersey.