By using the diagramming tool in Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint®, and Microsoft Excel, you can illustrate foundation-based relationships between elements with the Pyramid diagram type. The following instructions show you how to use the Pyramid diagram type to create a food pyramid diagram, and how to include this illustration in your document, presentation, or spreadsheet.

This example assumes the following elements in the food pyramid (element 1 is the foundational element, the bottom element in the pyramid):

Bread, Cereal, Rice, Pasta

Vegetables, Fruits

Milk, Yogurt, Cheese, Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans, Eggs, Nuts

Fats, Oils, Sweets

To add the food pyramid diagram to your document, worksheet, or presentation

1. On the Drawing toolbar, click Insert Diagram or Organization Chart.
2. Click the Pyramid Diagram type, and then click OK.
3. On the Diagram toolbar, click Insert Shape once for the fourth element in the food pyramid. This divides the pyramid diagram into four sections rather than the default three sections.
4. Starting with the bottom element (this is the foundational element in the food pyramid), click the text Click to add text and type the following:
   Bread, Cereal, Rice, Pasta
5. Repeat step 4 for each of the pyramid elements, working up toward the top element in the diagram, which corresponds to the element you should use most sparingly (Fats, Oils, Sweets).
6. On the Diagram toolbar, click AutoFormat, select a style that you like from the Diagram Style Gallery, and then click Apply. (This example uses the style "3-D Color" with a blue color scheme applied in PowerPoint.)
7. Click outside the diagram when you are finished.

More Information

Formatting Diagrams and Organization Charts in Office 2002

Create Diagrams in Word 2002, Excel 2002, and PowerPoint 2002