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A skyrocketing rate of obesity has prompted the U.S. government to revamp its food pyramid for the first time, in an effort to encourage people to eat less and exercise more.

Consuming greasy fast foods in super-sized portions, driving and taking elevators instead of walking, and spending hours seated at computers is taking a heavy toll on American waistlines.

The new dietary guidelines unveiled Wednesday are part of an effort to curb the fattening trend by reverting to a bit of old-fashioned wisdom. This means shunning the latest food fads, such as the Atkins Diet, and taking cues from pioneers, who ate modest portions and moved their bodies more.

Taking another page from the past, the guidelines suggest replacing refined foods, such as white bread and potato chips, with fibre-rich whole grains and generous amounts of fruits and vegetables.

The new U.S. guidelines bring the first change to the familiar but too-seldom followed "food pyramid" since its 1992 inception.

The Canadian government says its Food Guide to Healthy Eating  is one of the most requested resources after tax-rebate forms, but the evidence suggests that it, too, is going unheeded.

Obesity rates in Canadian adults and children have tripled over the past generation. Nearly 50 per cent of Canadians are overweight and 15 per cent are considered obese, according to Statistics Canada.

"A lot of people may know how to eat well, but they have trouble putting the guidelines into practise in daily life," Lynn Roblin, a registered dietician and one of Canada's leading nutrition writers, told globeandmail.com.

When stomachs start to rumble at work or at school, people reach for the most convenient and available products, she said.

"That's really where the problem lies — the marketing of healthy foods can't keep up with the marketing of packaged, processed foods."

Health Canada initiated a scientific review of its food guide in 2002 and a revised version is now in the works.

The new U.S. guidelines reflect the advice of a 13-member panel of nutritional scientists and doctors, who spent a year reviewing the diet and health of Americans. They said most Americans lead sedentary lifestyles and make poor food choices, with the result that they consume excess calories while failing to meet their nutritional needs.

Counting calories — not simply cutting carbs, as famously preached by the Atkins craze — is the key to keeping weight in check, the panel said.

It recommends choosing carbohydrates and fats wisely, which means steering away from artery-clogging trans-fats and toward whole-grains. The panel also stresses eating five to 13 servings (depending on age and activity level) of fruits and vegetables — the food group most neglected by Canadians adults and kids, according to Ms. Roblin. (She suggests preparing fresh fruit and vegetable platters in advance, so that they are on hand when the hunger hits).

The new U.S. guidelines also advise restricting the use of salt to about one teaspoon daily (salt raises blood pressure by causing fluid retention) and drinking alcohol in moderation — one drink a day for women and two for men.

A key recommendation is daily exercise. While 30 minutes of brisk walking a day is the bare minimum, maintaining weight loss over time may require up to 90 minutes.

Health Canada recommends doing at least 60 minutes of activity a day — of which 30 minutes should be done at a moderate effort — and suggests combining cardio, strength and flexibility exercises.

Increasing our activity is another area where we can afford to take some lessons from the past, Ms. Roblin said.

"When I was a kid we were playing outside all the time. We walked to the store, we walked to our friends' houses and we biked for miles and miles. It was just part of our life."