Food Guide Pyramid
MAKING HEALTHY FOOD CHOICES USING THE FOOD GUIDE PYRAMIDRemember the Basic Four Food Groups? Well, that's no longer what we use to plan a healthy diet. Now there are five food groups plus a category for fats, oils, and sweets. Why is all this in the shape of a pyramid? This is to remind us that the emphasis is from the bottom up. Eat the most from the bread, cereal, rice, and pasta group, and eat the least from the fats, oils, and sweets. The pyramid allows us flexibility in meal planning so that we do not have to deny ourselves our favorite foods. So, in one sentence, what does all this mean?
"Select the foods that together give you all the essential nutrients you need to maintain health without eating too many calories or too much fat".
Let's put this in practical terms one level at a time:
LEVEL ONE:
Bread, Cereal, Rice, and Pasta Group (6-11 Servings per day): Choose whole-grain breads, lowfat crackers, whole-grain hot and dry cereal; rice, barley, spaghetti and other eggless noodles; pretzels, plain popcorn without any added fat, rice and popcorn cakes, fat-free cookies and cakes, corn tortillas.
LEVEL TWO:
Vegetable Group (3-5 Servings per Day): Choose fresh or frozen vegetables such as carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes, squash, spinach, dark green lettuce(Romaine, Green Leaf), vegetable juice, vegetable soup.
Fruit Group (2-4 Servings Daily): Choose fresh fruit as much as possible; fruits with skins for extra fiber such as pears, apples, plums; strawberries, blueberries, oranges, grapefruit, mangoes, melons, apricots.
LEVEL THREE:
Milk, Yogurt, and Cheese Group (2-3 Servings per Day): Choose nonfat or 1% milk, nonfat yogurt, lowfat or fat-free cheeses, ice milk, nonfat frozen yogurt, custards or puddings made with nonfat or 1% milk.
Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans, Eggs, and Nuts Group: (2-3 Servings per Day): Choose skinless white meat chicken or turkey, all fish and shellfish, extra-lean beef (sirloin, round, other choice cuts), pork tenderloin; navy, kidney, black, or pinto beans; four egg yolks weekly, egg whites or egg substitutes; peanuts, almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds.
LEVEL FOUR:
Fats, Oils, and Sweets: Use in moderation. Choose liquid oils such as canola, peanut, olive; hard candy, reduced fat candy bars; jam, jelly, and other fruit spreads.
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER:
All foods can be part of a healthy diet. The key is moderation, variety, and proportionality. Make lower fat food choices whenever possible; moderate your portions of higher fat foods, and balance with lower-fat ones. Be sure to vary your choices within the food groups consistently. Follow the recommended number of servings for each food group daily. This helps ensure that you will get all of the nutrients you need for the promotion of good health.
The number of servings to choose from each food group have been specified, but "How much is one serving?" is now the question. Refer to the chart below for sample serving sizes from the various food groups.
