Click Your Topic
 |
|
|
|
Food Guide Pyramid
What is the Food Guide Pyramid?
The Pyramid is an outline of what to eat each day. It's not a rigid prescription, but a general guide that lets you choose a healthful diet that's right for you.
The Pyramid calls for eating a variety of foods to get the nutrients you need and at the same time the right amount of calories to maintain or improve your weight.
The Pyramid also focuses on fat because most Americans diets are too high in fat, especially saturated fat.
The Food Guide Pyramid emphasizes foods from the five major food groups shown in the three lower sections of the Pyramid. Each of these food groups provides some, but not all, of the nutrients you need. Foods in one group can't replace those in another. No one food group is more important than another - for good health, you need them all.
Image from the U.S.
Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services or the USDA and DHHS
The small tip of the Pyramid shows fats, oils, and sweets. These are foods such as salad dressings and oils, cream, butter, margarine, sugars, soft drinks, candies, and sweet desserts. These foods provide calories and little else nutritionally. Most people should use them sparingly.
The next level of the Food Guide Pyramid are two groups of foods that come mostly from animals: milk, yogurt, cheese; and meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs, and nuts. These foods are for protein, calcium, iron, and zinc.
The next level includes foods that come from plants - vegetables and fruits. Most people need to eat more of these foods for the vitamins, minerals, and fiber they supply.
At the base of the Food Guide Pyramid are breads, cereals, rice, and pasta - all foods from grains. You need the servings of these foods each day.
"3 Habits to Lose Weight: Nutrition, Exercise, Lifestyle"
Information presented on Lose Body Weight website is considered public information. This website is for informational and educational purposes only. The information provided is not intended as a substitute for the care of a doctor or medical professional. If you suspect that you have a health problem, we urge you to contact your physician or local hospital for care. Weight Loss ideas are not proven.