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Understanding the New Food Pyramid

03.02.2009 · Posted in Home and Garden Articles

Perhaps you have seen the old food pyramid in a newspaper or magazine or you might have seen it on the doctor’s surgery wall. There is now a new food pyramid, which is easier to read and use.nnThe old food pyramid stacks four food groups on top of one another. The largest food group is at the base and this is bread, cereal, rice, and pasta. Next, up you have fruit and vegetables. The second from the top is dairy, meat, fish, eggs, nuts, and beans and right at the top, with the smallest space, is fats and oils. You can use this food pyramid to tell at a glance how much of each type of food you should be eating.nnThe new food pyramid has vertical rainbow colored stripes to show the different food groups. It also tells you how many ounces or cups of each food group you should consume each day, rather than how many servings. A lot of people are unclear how big a “serving” should be.nnDoes the Food Pyramid Work for Everyone?nnHealthcare professionals all agree that it is important to eat a balanced diet, with food from each of the food groups and this is what the new food pyramid encourages too. Your body needs a combination of fruits; vegetables, grains, meat or poultry and dairy produce to work properly. If you are eating a vegetarian or vegan diet, you can also eat healthily but you will need to make certain substitutions, such as eating beans and lentils instead of meat for example.nnAll Foods are AllowednnNothing is banned but there are some things you should eat less of. You can eat a whole watermelon if you want but you should probably not eat a whole stick of butter because your body cannot use that much fat at once. If you love fried chicken, you can eat it in moderation. Chicken is a healthy, lean protein source and the body needs fats too, so the oil is acceptable.nnYou might want to serve your deep fried chicken with some salad or vegetables to balance it out or you might want to eat plenty of fruit and grains for lunch and enjoy the fried chicken in the evening. There is no reason why you cannot be healthy and also be able to enjoy your favorite foods.nnBanning all sugars or all fried food is guaranteed to make you miserable. Eating everything in moderation is healthy and is enjoyable too. Unless your doctor has advised you to eat a certain way because of a health condition, eating a balanced range of foods is optimum for your health.nnEating a balanced diet does not mean a deep fried chicken in one hand and a huge plate of French fries in the other but it does mean eating some of every food and making sure you eat foods from each food group to nourish your body properly.nnSo if you were worried about what the new food pyramid means and you want to know if it is still fine to enjoy your favorite southern fried chicken recipe, the answer is a resounding yes!

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