Dietary recommendations abound -- eat this, don't eat that. It seems that everyone has an opinion about what you should and shouldn't put into your body. We've seen it all -- low fat, no fat, carbo-loading, calorie counting, high protein, liquid diets and even amazing grapefruit and cabbage-soup diets. With all the hype, how do you determine the best game plan for your body? Well, the folks at Oldways Preservation & Exchange Trust, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting healthy eating, have given us a map of sorts to help us nurture our bodies. They've explored the traditional cuisines of some of the world's ancient cultures and created Mediterranean, Asian and Latin American diet pyramids

that can help us make sense of the myriad dietary choices we face daily. Their pyramids illustrate the healthy traditional dietary patterns of various cultures and regions of the world. This is not to say you should pick a pyramid and stick to its prescription religiously. In fact, the Oldways pyramids should function more as loose guidelines -- pick and choose the aspects you favor from each to establish a healthy eating style rather than a "diet." The whole point is to reintroduce diverse dietary traditions and promote intercultural dialogue to generate interest in healthy eating. Oldways hopes their pyramids and other educational programs will slow the worldwide epidemic of preventable chronic disease by encouraging healthier eating, drinking, exercise and lifestyle patterns; help reduce agricultural pollution by promoting sustainable agriculture; and retard the steady loss of cultural and biological diversity by preserving traditional ways of growing foods, cooking and eating. So, take a look at the characteristics of each pyramid and see how you might fit them into your life. The Mediterranean Pyramid The Mediterranean pyramid is a time-tested cultural model for healthy eating. In the recent past, peoples of Greece, the isle of Crete, and southern Italy experienced some of the lowest rates of chronic disease. In addition, they had one of the highest life expectancy rates in the world, according to nutritional research. Historically, people of the Mediterranean region centered their diets around plant sources including fruits and vegetables, potatoes, breads and grains, beans, nuts and seeds. They emphasized minimally processed and, whenever possible, seasonally fresh and locally grown foods to maximize their health-promoting micronutrient and antioxidant content. They relied upon olive oil as the principle source of fat in their diets. Olive oil contains monounsaturated fat as opposed to the saturated fats and trans fatty acids found in a number of popular sources such as butter and margarine. Research suggests that saturated fats, rather than many plant-derived monounsaturated fats, contribute to chronic and degenerative diseases such as heart disease. While Mediterraneans consumed fat ranging from 25 to 35 percent of their overall caloric intake, they limited saturated fat to no more than 8 percent of their total diets. Even though their total fat intake may exceed the USDA recommendation of 30 percent or less, Mediterraneans at the time of this research lived a much more active lifestyle than the average American, thereby permitting and even favoring higher consumption of fat. Milk historically played only a minimal role in the Mediterranean diet. It would sour quickly in the hot climate, leading to early development of methods to preserve milk. Thus, cheese and yogurt were consumed in low to moderate amounts on a daily basis. Eggs aren't included in the dairy portion of the Mediterranean pyramid and, in fact, the pyramid recommends consuming no more than four eggs weekly, including those used in baking. Fish and poultry comprise low to moderate portions of the weekly recommendations, though coastal populations of this region relied heavily upon the Mediterranean Sea for food, especially fish rich in essential fatty acids. On the other hand, red meat is consumed only a few times per month. According to Oldways, methods of cooking developed in the Mediterranean over generations add extra flavor to grains and vegetables with just an ounce or two of meat, maximizing the impact of what little meat they did eat. The Asian Pyramid Pacific Rim countries have also had some of the lowest chronic disease rates in the world. For instance, in Japan, the death rate from breast cancer is one-fourth that of the United States, and the Chinese suffer only one-seventeenth the rate of heart disease we do. Sadly, though, as fast-food restaurants proliferate and increasing wealth leads to a tendency to consume Westernized diets higher in foods of animal origin, rates of cancer, heart disease and other chronic illnesses have escalated among Asian regions. Why, until these recent trends, have Asian populations enjoyed such good health? According to epidemiological studies, it's largely due to their plant-based diet. In particular, the people of East Asia have historically made plant-based foods the core of their daily intake, leaving foods from animal sources on the periphery. Commonly consumed foods include rice and other grains, noodles, fruits and vegetables (including sea vegetables), nuts, seeds, beans, various soyfoods, other legumes, vegetable and nut oils, and plant-based beverages including tea, wine and beer. Following this diet can provide all the known essential micronutrients, fiber and other plant food constituents believed to promote health. Like their Mediterranean counterparts, Asians benefit from eating low amounts of saturated fats and obtain much of their daily fat intake from plant sources. In fact, dairy products such as milk and cheese are generally absent from East Asian diets. Fish is consumed moderately while poultry is used only occasionally and red meat very sparingly, often only as a garnish or added in 1-ounce portions to flavor plant-based foods. Perhaps one important health consideration lies in the social context of eating among Asian populations. Meals offer a time to interact and share with family and friends. This social support and pleasure may account greatly for the higher life expectancy and lower chronic disease rates in many parts of Asia. The Latin American Pyramid According to Oldways, the indigenous people of Latin America had the right idea. In pre-Columbian times, the Aztecs, Mayans and Incans relied heavily upon grains, tubers and beans such as maize, dry beans, peanuts, potatoes, sweet potatoes, quinoa and amaranth, which they consumed in various combinations two or three times daily. These ingredients, which could be easily grown and stored, were supplemented by secondary grains and fruits on a daily basis. Examples include cassava, pumpkin, squash, papaya, guava, avocado, pineapple and tomato. Chile peppers, in varying quantities, were characteristic of every meal. Since large animals were scarce, red meat was eaten sparingly. Fish was a daily staple and poultry was consumed weekly. They used honey as their primary sweetener. Spanish conquistadors of the post-Columbian era brought their culinary traditions, and actually forced the natives to abandon some of their own practices. With the Spanish came large animals such as cows, sheep, goats and pigs -- the first introduction of meat and dairy products into the Latin American diet. The Spanish also introduced rice, which quickly became a staple. In addition, sugar, fruits and vegetables such as bananas, melons, onions, cauliflowers, cabbages and mangos became part of the region's diet. The Latin American pyramid represents both of these eras, incorporating the healthy culinary and cultural aspects of each. Even though meats, sugar and dairy products were a post-Columbian addition, that doesn't mean they fried up a plate of greasy beef fajitas or melted a whole pound of cheese inside a few tortillas and called them enchiladas. Cheese was traditionally used only as a garnish, not a main ingredient, and sweets remained an occasional treat. The USDA Pyramid in Comparison The three cultural pyramids created by Oldways have some things in common -- red meat ranks as the smallest recommended portion of the average diet and occupies a category separate from other sources of protein; plant oils are an accepted and even preferred source of fat; complex carbohydrates such as grains and nuts comprise dietary staples; and processed foods are minimal. The USDA pyramid descends directly from the four food groups promoted in the '50s and '60s. As such it makes fewer distinctions between food sources, and rather than depicting an overall dietary picture, it structures a daily diet. Current research proves it's not necessary to follow a strict diet every single day. Rather, it's important to view the larger picture -- what you put into your body over a greater period of time, weekly or even longer. In fact, the USDA pyramid goes so far as to recommend adequate daily servings. For instance, it recommends consuming two to three servings daily from the milk, yogurt and cheese group. Unlike the Oldways pyramids, the USDA model lumps all protein sources into one category and recommends two to three servings daily. It makes no distinction between the types of protein ranging from red meat to nuts and beans. It also combines all fat sources in its smallest category, recommending sparing consumption. It makes no allowance for the importance of essential fatty acids from healthy fats in the diet. Its base, the bottom level, consists of the bread, cereal, rice and pasta group. It makes no distinction between simple, or processed carbohydrates, and complex carbs. This model certainly has its merits -- the minimum 5-a-day recommendation for fruits and vegetables -- but the folks at Oldways hope their new pyramids will inspire a fresh look at the USDA's old standby.