The government's old Food Guide Pyramid has changed its stripes. It has a new name and its own website, http://www.mypyramid.gov/,  which was deluged with hits Tuesday.  (Editor's note: Go to the link above.  There are various helpful tools.)

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's old food pyramid, which was introduced in 1992 and has been widely used in nutrition education, was a one-size-fits-all tool.

MyPyramid is still triangle-shaped, but it has six colored, vertical stripes to represent food categories: orange for grains, green for vegetables, red for fruits, yellow for oils, blue for dairy products and purple for meats, beans, fish and nuts. On the side, a figure climbing steps emphasizes exercise.

The wider base of each stripe represents wholesome, healthier foods with little or no solid fats, added sugar or caloric sweeteners. The narrow top is the higher-calorie foods.

“The concept here is you need to spend your calories wisely,” the USDA's Eric Hentges says. “You don't have lot of extra calories unless you include more physical activity in your life.”

MyPyramid is designed to help people “personalize” their eating plans, USDA secretary Mike Johanns says.

Consumers are urged to visit the interactive website. After providing their age, gender and activity level, they receive guidelines on how many calories they should consume and much they should eat from each food category.

These recommendations are based on the government's revised dietary guidelines, which were released in January.

Interest in the new website was so keen on Tuesday that it received 1.8 million hits in the first hour. Access to the site was slow during the first day, but USDA officials say they'll be able to handle the interest.

The agency says people without access to the Internet will soon be able to get materials on MyPyramid from physicians, dietitians and schools.

There's support for the new symbol. Stephanie Childs, a spokeswoman for the Grocery Manufacturers of America, says consumers can use the information to build better diets.

But not everyone is happy with the new plan. “People need to get clear advice without having to log on to the Internet,” says Margo Wootan of the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

“The message Americans most need is what to eat less of,” Wootan says. “It's typical of USDA to dodge the difficult messages — which is to consume less of sugary soft drinks, fatty meats, ice cream — but they very prominently show the foods to eat more of.”