The food pyramid was developed in Sweden in
the early to mid 1970's to demonstrate standards for daily nutrition. In the
early 1990's, the United States government began creating their own food
guidelines.T he You can view an example at lifeclinic.com. The pyramid continues to
improve as new studies provide new information. These guidelines tell the
recommended daily doses of each food group to help our nation stay healthy.
These suggestions are made for the average American. Special needs may apply
for each unique circumstance. You can develop a customized food pyramid just
for you on the website at mypyramid.gov .
1. GET RID OF JUNK FOOD
If you want to eat healthy using the food
pyramid for guidelines, the first thing to do is to get rid of your junk food.
Next, stock your cupboard with foods from the five food groups. These clusters
are named the grains group, the vegetable group, the fruit group, the dairy
group, and the protein group. The higher the location of the cluster on the
pyramid, the less you need to eat to stay healthy. The top of the pyramid with
the least recommended servings is the fat, oil and sweets group. The bottom of
the pyramid is grains, which are recommended at every meal.
2. SUPPORT
If you are looking to the food pyramid for
weight loss, some other tips include a food journal, a support system and
taking pictures of yourself to track progress. Ask friends and family to
encourage healthy eating using the food pyramid and ask them to keep the junk
away from you. Use a notebook to record everything you eat. This will help you
to understand if your portion sizes are too large and identify trouble foods.
There may even be a correlation between stressful times and an increase in poor
eating habits. Identifying these habits will help you break them. Take a
picture once a month for comparison. View more healthy tips at
www.hsph.harvard.edu.
3. FOOD GROUPS
The grains food group consists of any
bread, cereal, rice and pasta. The recommended daily dosage of these foods
includes between six and eleven servings. Whole grains are recommended over
refined grains. A serving of these includes one slice of bread, cup of cooked
rice, oatmeal and pasta, of an English muffin or pita, 1 6-inch corn or flour
tortilla, or1 cup of dry cereal.
The vegetable food group consists of any
vegetables including green leafy ones, carrots, radishes, cabbage and eggplant.
The definition of a vegetable is undecided, but we generally consider a
vegetable to be savory rather than sweet like fruits. When we use the term
vegetable, it can refer to any part of a plant including the stem, leaves,
flower, stalk, bulb or root. The recommended daily dose of these is between
three to five servings. A serving includes cup of cooked or raw vegetables, cup
of vegetable juice or 1 cup of salad. In newer variations of the pyramid,
servings of vegetables are not limited.
The fruit food group consists of any fruits
including apples, oranges, bananas, blueberries, and grapes. The
differentiating characteristic between a fruit and a vegetable is that a fruit
is the reproductive part of the plant. We generally eat the fleshy, seed
bearing element. This is the part that tends to be sweet. The recommended daily
dosage of these foods includes between two to four servings. A serving includes
cup of chopped, raw fruit or 1 medium whole fruit.
The dairy food group consists of any milk,
cheese and yogurt. The recommended daily dosage of these is three servings. The
USDA has shown that three servings of dairy daily has greater benefits in
weight loss over just cutting down on calories. A serving includes 1 cup of low
fat milk, 1 ounces of regular or low fat cheese, 8 ounces of yogurt or 4 ounces
of cottage cheese.
The protein group consists of any meat,
poultry, dry beans, eggs, nuts, legumes and tofu. The recommended daily dosage
of these is between two to three servings. Lean meats, such as fish and chicken
breast are the most highly recommended sources of protein. A serving includes 1
ounce of meat, poultry or fish, 1 egg or 1 cup of dry beans.
The fat, oil and sweets group includes
fried food, dessert and sugars. These should be used sparingly. There have been
benefits found from using olive oil and chocolate. Adding sugar and butter to
your food and any other additives that are high in fat and sugar should be done
in moderation to keep your body healthy. In newer versions of the pyramid red
meat is included in this category.
In addition to these guidelines, taking a
daily multivitamin is recommended along with exercise. One to two glasses of
red wine or beer a day has also been shown to have health benefits. There are
many variations of the food pyramid including pyramids for ethnic cultures and
vegetarian diets. Here are sites that may provide you with alternative
information:
4. THE OLD FOOD PYRAMID
The food pyramid that is known as the
official USDA food pyramid was changed in the spring of 2005 because they
wanted to better convey the example of how to stay healthy. The old food
pyramid was used much the same as the new one is, where you should eat more of
the foods at the bottom of the pyramid, and work your way up, eating less of
those close to the top. The old food pyramid had six sections, beginning at the
very bottom with Bread, Cereal, Rice, and Pasta group. Of this group you were
supposed to eat six to eleven servings, and it didn't separate white bread and
pastas from whole grains. Above that were the Fruit and Vegetable groups. You
were instructed to eat two to four servings of fruits, and three to five
servings of vegetables, again, these were very general terms. The third tier of
the old food pyramid consisted of the Milk, Yogurt, and Cheese group, and the
Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dried Beans, Eggs, and Nuts group. The chart indicated to
eat two to three servings each of these two groups. At the top was Fats, Oils,
and Sweets, which were just directed to be used sparingly, and indicated no
guidelines for what fit into that category. The old food pyramid also didn't
include anything about exercise, or alcohol consumption, thus leaving that up to
the consumer.
5. OTHER FORMS OF THE FOOD PYRAMID
The
Mediterranean Diet Pyramid
This diet is a different spin on the food
pyramid. To incorporate the ideas of the Mediterranean Diet into your daily
life, you simply need to make olive oil your primary source of fat, incorporate
plant based foods such as fruits, vegetables, breads, grains, and nuts, eat low
to moderate amounts of fish, poultry, cheese, and yogurt, and drink a moderate
amount of wine (one or two glasses a day)
The
Asian Diet Pyramid
This diet is a representation of a healthy
Asian diet, which is growing in popularity in the United States. The basis of
this diet is eating more variation in food, mingled with food found more
frequently in Asia. Some of the foods encouraged in this pyramid are rice,
pineapple, bananas, mangos, cabbage, carrots, bok choy, bamboo shoots, soy
beans, dried beans, miso, tofu, fish, and eggs. Alcohol may also be consumed in
moderation, but isn't recommended.
The
Latin American Diet Pyramid
The Latin American Diet is a variation of
the diet pyramid, and reflects the traditional diet of the areas of Latin
America. The diet consists of more starches and less meats, with fruits and
vegetables being important as well. Some of the basic foods found on the chart
that Americans might not be used to are taro, arepas, quinoa, malanga,
amaranth, cassava, yucca, cacao, tamarind, breadfruit, kale, cactus,
tomatillos, and red meat is used sparingly.
The
Vegetarian Diet Pyramid
The Vegetarian Diet Pyramid is exactly what
it sounds like, a complete absence of meat, poultry, or fish in the diet. It is
based on multiple servings a day from the three mini Fruits and Vegetables,
Whole Grains, Legumes, and Beans pyramids. There's attention to consuming foods
from all of the mini pyramids, and daily consumption of good water as well as
exercise to maintain good health.
The
Low Carb Diet Pyramid
The low carb diet pyramid focuses on meat,
low carb fruits and vegetables, and extremely limited portions of whole grain
carbs. Dairy provides extra calcium. As always, make sure to drink plenty of
water.
