Following new USDA food pyramid would raise grocery bills by nearly one-third

[Aussie105]

7. I'd ignore any new fad food pyramid pushed at you.

Who knows what food industry influences are at work there?
(The red meat industry says . . . You need more of our protein rich products!)

Instead look at the diets commonly developed over centuries and consumed in Asian countries.

High in:
Vegetables, fresh, not overcooked.
Protein from legumes, white meat. Eggs.

Prep: Stir fry. Minimal oil used in cooking.

Low, or completely absent:
Red meat.
Animal fats - meat, milk, butter, cheese.
Sugars - sugary soft drinks, added or part of the food.
Alcohol.
Snack foods. Especially the potato/oil/salt based ones.
Any fast foods.

A diet poor in taste, you say?
Investigate the spices available in any Asian shop.
Centuries worth of development in individual spices and spice mixes there!

Be healthy, be a normal weight, live a long life!

Catch 22- America has a double edged problem - expensive health care and poor diet.