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Contact: Trish Britten, 956-6457	Air Date: March 11, 1998

Food Pyramid Local Style pt.1   Laulau, Portuguese sweet bread and pork adobo are local culinary classics here in Hawaii. But nutritionally, where do they fall in the USDA Food Guide Pyramid? Trish Britten, a nutrition specialist from the University of Hawaii, has devised a local version of the food pyramid. Like the nationally-accepted food pyramid, Britten says the largest part of a meal should be from the base of the pyramid. That means rice, bread, noodles or starchy vegetables like taro or poi. The next layer is vegetables and fruits. This is where kim chee, broccoli, stir-fries and mangoes fit into the local food pyramid. In Hawaii, fruits are generally eaten as snacks instead of with a meal. Vegetables are served in combination with other foods. Tomatoes in spaghetti sauce, luau leaves in laulau, pea pods in stir-fries and carrots in stew are all good ways to eat vegetables. I'll tell you what local foods fall into the last two layers of the pyramid in tomorrow's University Report, I'm Tracy Orillo Donovan.

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