Though the food pyramid and USDA dietary guidelines have a big impact on our lives—dictating what’s in school meals, how we frame nutrition education plans, and what info goes on food labels—many people find them very hard to understand.

The guidelines are reviewed every five years, and though what exactly they will say when they’re unveiled this December, public health advocates have been stressing the need for blunt nutritional advice rather than the wishy-washy “we don’t want to offend this, that, or the other industry” language in the current version.

With obesity rates so high, clearly, something is not working, and it may very well be those same guidelines that are supposed to teach people how to eat healthfully.

You can read more here.