The food pyramid is a useful tool for making healthy food choices at mealtime. Meet the food pyramid allows us to make choices between different options, helping to obtain the items needed by the body to function properly, also suggested portion sizes to control calories, fat, saturated fat, sugar and sodium in the diet.
At the base of the pyramid are foods containing a high percentage of energy as carbohydrates that are made. Here lie the pasta, bread, grains and cereals. For a balanced diet is recommended to consume six to eleven servings, depending on each person’s physical activity. Examples of these are a slice of bread, half cup of rice or other cooked cereal and pasta.
Fruits and vegetables are the next group of foods from the food pyramid. They are rich in vitamins like A and C, while their levels of sodium and fat are minimal. It suggests eating three to five servings could be a liquefied raw vegetables, half cup of the same food, but cooked, and three fourths cup of fruit juice.
The eggs, lean meat and fish up the next item on the food pyramid, provide protein, iron and zinc to the diet, contributing to a healthy diet. Other foods of plant origin such as peanut and nuts also provide the body these nutrients.
Dairy products give the body protein, vitamins and minerals, especially calcium, thus providing important elements in achieving a healthy diet. This food group is advised to consume two or three parts, two if you have more than 24 years and three if you are nursing or pregnant.
Fats and sweets are the members of the last and smallest group of the food pyramid. It refers specifically to sugar added to the diet in coffee or tea for example. A guide to limit the amount of sugar consumed is to take no more than 6 teaspoons of sugar if you want to be within the 1,600 calories, 12 to be within the 2,200 and 18 for not passing 2,800.
