Grains actually should be the bottom of the food pyramid, just not the grains represented in the old pyramid.

Peanuts, lentils, oats, peas, chickpeas, beans, etc. All grains that are both healthy and safe to eat a lot of.

And meat should be much less present too. Animal produce in general.

Protein intake should come from both vegetables and meats (to the tune of 500g to 600g per person per week, as a rule of thumb).

"Grains" usually refers to cereal grains. Everything you listed except for oats is typically classified as a legume or a pulse, not a grain.

Legumes are grains. It's a sub category just like cereal is a sub category. They are all grains.

Only in the "cucumbers are fruit" botanically technically correct but incorrect from common usage standpoint.

Sure, except this is the first time in my life I've seen the term "pulse" used for a vegetable. And, honestly, only in the last 10 years have I been hearing the term legume in common conversation. Grain is definitely the more common term.

I've never heard anyone refer to a food as a "pulse" as a lifelong American resident.

Granted, nobody has called a peanut a grain, but thinking about it, i don't really see why not to. But a pulse?

But the new pyramid is pretty similar to the old pyramid. From the page:

Grains: Target: 2–4 servings per day.

Vegetables: 3 servings per day.

Fruits: 2 servings per day.

The old pyramid (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_pyramid_(nutrition)#/medi...) recommends 3-5 veg (same/more), 2-4 fruit (same/more), more grains, and is still relatively protein heavy (4-6 between meat and dairy).

It's basically a scene from The Office. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lC5lsemxaJo

To me, the actual food pyramid picture from that campaign conveys the wrong idea, to the point that it's in fact detrimental.

Yes; that's why the Obama administration changed it in 2011 to be a plate instead of a pyramid.

https://letsmove.obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/sites/letsmove...

https://www.myplate.gov/eat-healthy/what-is-myplate

(To much wailing and gnashing of teeth from the Right at the time; https://www.heritage.org/education/commentary/michelle-obama...)