For that reason, I was looking for alternatives and it was good to see that government has included protein-rich peanut butte as one of the alternatives to meat. The pyramid has been approved by many but also criticized by some. Though the basic structure is one that nutritionists wouldn't be arguing about but critique has focused on category classifications. In the bread category for example, why haven't the whole grain and high fiber been stressed? White bread is not the same as whole grain bread and since Pyramid was all about healthy eating, it should have mentioned whole grain bread instead of just any kind of bread.

Similarly some people wonder where do most food fall. If you go for apple pie for example, would that be classified as sweet dessert or fruit since it contains apples. People are also uncertain about portion sizes and what size is recommended for which category. When they say you should have five servings of vegetables and fruits, what does that really mean? Is there any standard serving size? With every other outlet offering super sized serving, people wonder what an ordinary serving size would be. Hopefully the next time, U.S. department of agriculture comes up with a pyramid, they would also include the exact size of serving.

The pyramid also doesn't say anything about water. How come the food guide completely ignores water? Isn't water supposed to be really healthy?...

It is also unfortunate that pyramid doesn't categorize fats. While some fats are bad for the heart such as those found in donuts and cake, there are others that prevent diseases such as those in nuts and fish.
The food pyramid couldn't possibly include every food on earth but some essential ones should have been categorized especially the ones that people consume everyday. It must also be mentioned that some very healthy soy products are nowhere to be found in the pyramid. Tofu for example a good source of proteins and has been little fat content. But it is not found on the pyramid.

The guide doesn't say anything about canned food available in the market that Americans consume so readily. It has also been recommended that physical exercise should lie on the bottom-most slot since it is the most essential activity in today's lifestyle.

In short the new pyramid is good but it needs to be more specific and must be more comprehensive. It still omits some very essential food items, which could be used as alternatives in few important cases. We can all learn something from this because one look at daily food recommendations can help us improve our diet and make us more conscious of what we consume.

References

New Food Guide Pyramid. http://www.mypyramid.gov