Food Pyramid – A Guide To Healthy Choice Of Food
Food pyramid is an excellent tool to help you plan your healthy eating choices. Various food groups and food choices are combined and illustrated in the shape of a pyramid. No single food can provide all the nutrients required for the body to remain healthy. Food pyramid categorizes them into groups and helps us to choose food from different groups and eat variety of foods to get the necessary nutrients. Placing food in categories in the food pyramid provides a healthy eating visual guide by recommending daily portions.
Triangular shaped pyramid directs us to select foods according to our needs. The Base of the pyramid represents the food which is most essential for us. The foods that we need to take less frequently are shown on the upper side of the pyramid.
Food Pyramid Basics
Among so many food pyramids available, you may get confused, which one to choose. The basic principal of all food pyramids are almost the same. They all guide us to:
• Eat whole grains and lot of fruits and vegetables.
• Less saturated fat, transfat and cholesterol
• Less Salt and sweet
• Calorie control
• Controlled intake of alcoholic beverages
• Exercise
Let us take a look at the different food groups included in the food pyramid:
Grains
This group consists of bread, rice, cereal and pasta which are a source of energy in the form of carbohydrates. Whole grains contain dietary fibers and they are also rich in proteins. Whole grains are found in greater quantity in oatmeal, whole wheat bread, and brown rice. Recommended portion is 6-11 serving per day.
Vegetable Group
This is another major food group which contains vitamins and minerals. Since every vegetable has a certain kind of nutrient, therefore we have to consume different varieties of vegetables. 3-5 servings of vegetables is necessary every day.
Fruits
Fruits are an important part of the food pyramid. Oranges, Apples. Plums, grapes and berries are the major fruits that should be included in our regular diet. Fruits are a great source of vitamins, natural fibers and sugars.
Dairy products
Dairy products such as milk, yoghurt, and cheese are a rich source of calcium and essential part of food pyramid.
Beans, eggs, lean meat and fish
We get protein, zinc and iron from these products. Dried beans, peas and nuts also provide these nutrients. Recommended suggestion for cooked meat is 2-3 servings. Meat and nuts are high in fat. So they should be consumed in moderate quantity.
