food pyramid

noun

1

: an ecological hierarchy of food relationships in which a chief predator is at the top, each level preys on the next lower level, and usually green plants are at the bottom

2

: a pyramid-shaped depiction of recommended daily servings for different food groups (such as vegetables, grains, dairy products, and meats)

Examples of food pyramid in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Saladino contends that the traditional food pyramid, with its broad base of plant foods that narrows into animal foods, is upside down and that the medical establishment’s view that high cholesterol causes heart disease is wrong. —Kate Wong, Scientific American, 25 June 2024

A little over a decade ago, the U.S. government’s classic food pyramid was replaced by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s MyPlate, showing what a typical healthy, balanced meal should look like. —Christina Manian, Rdn, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Mar. 2023

The government has often been gung ho in its health-education efforts: the U.S.D.A.’s nutritional guides and food pyramids, seventies Saturday-morning-cartoon P.S.A.s, Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! campaign. —Sarah Larson, The New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2023

Researchers have even observed this phenomenon, known as sensory specific satiety, among animals and children (who haven’t exactly memorized the food pyramid). —Molly Glick, Discover Magazine, 19 Feb. 2022

Word History

First Known Use

1932, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

food pyramid

noun

: a series of levels of ecological food relationships arranged by levels in which a chief predator is at the top, each level preys on the next lower level, and green plants are usually at the bottom