For those of you who don’t know, the food pyramid is a
carefully drawn up plan of exactly what the human body needs nutritionally.
That is, the food pyramid is a guide to help us determine what we should eat
every day. It doesn’t have a set menu of food that you need to eat per day. All
it has is a guide that can help you plan your meals so that you get the correct
amount of nutrients into your system every day.
The food pyramid will show you the path to keeping yourself
fit and healthy through a steady and healthy diet. Up until recently, that’s all
the food pyramid did. In 2005 however, the food pyramid as we know it was
changed forever, and a more up-to-date food pyramid took its place. Now you’ll
find that instead of the two-dimensional food pyramid we’re so used to, it’s
become more three-dimensional. To show the added benefits that regular exercise
will have on you, a figure running up a flight of stairs on the side of the
food pyramid has been added.
Earlier if you looked at the food pyramid you would have
seen horizontal lines spanning the food pyramid with the food that we eat the
most of, starting at the bottom. The food that we should eat the least amount
of, could be found at the top. This is the food pyramid that we all know about
and the one that was shown to us when we were in school.
The new food pyramid, however, is completely different. Apart
from the fact that it’s become three dimensional and has a figure climbing up
the side of it, this new food guide has also eliminated the horizontal lines.
Instead, we can now see lines starting from the tip of the pyramid and radiating
downward.
Each of these sections is only as big, or small, as the
earlier food pyramid sections were. Only with this new food pyramid, you now
know that although you need to eat some food types more than others, even
within those food groups, there are some foods that you should only eat in
moderation.
Additionally, you’ll also find that your new food pyramid is
colour coded. So you’ll get an orange stripe representing grains; a Green
stripe for vegetables; a Red stripe for fruits; a Yellow stripe denoting how
much fats and oils you should have; a Blue stripe for the milk and dairy
products that you’re allowed; and a Purple stripe showing you the quantities of
meats, fish, beans and suchlike that you should eat in a day.
With six coloured stripes denoting the quantities of food
you should take, and a figure of a healthy person running up a flight of stairs
on the side of it, this new food pyramid is definitely better than the old one,
and can help you learn more about better eating habits and a healthy
lifestyle.
Disclaimer:
This article is presented solely as an example and is not meant to replace
personalized medical or dietitian prescription. No content on this site should
ever be used as a substitute for direct medical or dietitian advice from your
doctor or other qualified clinicians.
Comments