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Healthy Eating and The New Food Pyramid
by
Jennifer Slaugh, senior staff writer & Lindsy Manning, special
to Mormonchic
There are
so many recommendations about healthy ways to eat, it is hard
to know what to believe. It seems that every day a new diet
is introduced that promises energy, weight loss, and a life
change, all without exercise. Most of the unhealthy/fad diets
I can easily spot and avoid, but even information that seems
to come from reputable sources changes frequently. Are eggs
good or bad? What about butter? Milk? The information we receive
is so inconsistent that making healthy choices seems hard to
do.
You remember
the food guide pyramid from elementary school, don't you? It
was a pyramid divided into horizontal sections. The largest
section of the pyramid, or base, represented the amount of breads
(6-11 servings) you were supposed to eat each day. The second
section was split between the fruits (2-4 servings) and the
vegetables (3-5 servings). The next section was split between
the dairy (2-3 servings) and the meats (2-3 servings). The top
of the pyramid was fats to be consumed sparingly. The same servings
applied to all people of all ages.
The Food
Guide Pyramid has always been an outline of what to eat each
day. It is designed to help people meet daily nutrient recommendations.
But different people need different diets. Truly, one size does
not fit all. Enter the new and improved Food Guide Pyramid,
now called MyPyramid, unveiled in April 2005 by the U.S. Department
of Agriculture. According to their press release, "MyPyramid,
which replaces the Food Guide Pyramid introduced in 1992, is
part of an overall food guidance system that emphasizes the
need for a more individualized approach to improving diet and
lifestyle.
"MyPyramid
is about the ability of Americans to personalize their approach
when choosing a healthier lifestyle that balances nutrition
and exercise. Many Americans can dramatically improve their
overall health by making modest improvements to their diets
and by incorporating regular physical activity into their
daily lives."
MyPyramid
has a bold new look. The food groups a divided into vertical
sections with their width representing the percentage of your
diet each group should take. The new pyramid also places an
emphasis on daily exercise-at least 30 minutes most days of
the week.
Visit www.mypyramid.gov
to see the new interactive elements of MyPyramid. Some items
to note.
1.
Personalization. The beauty of the new pyramid is that
the portions recommended are based on your age, gender, and
level of physical activity. http://www.mypyramid.gov/mypyramid/index.aspx.
Once you have entered your information, mypyramid will show
you the recommended intake best for you. Other helpful option
from this page are the Meal Tracking Workshop and the My Pyramid
Tracker. The Meal Tracking Workshop will help you tack your
daily food intake. The My Pyramid Tracker allows you to enter
more personal information (height, weight, etc.), then you enter
in all the food you eat each day and it will calculate your
nutrient intake. My Pyramid Tracker will store the information
and create and eating log. How handy is that? Very handy.
2.
Physical Activity. Unlike the Food Guide Pyramids of
yesteryear, the current MyPyramid emphasizes that physical activity
is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. Activity is represented
by the steps and the person climbing them. It's just like your
dad always told you-get out there and move. Well, at least that's
what my dad always told me. Thirty minutes of physical activity
each day is necessary to maintain your current weight. If you
want to lose weight you will need 60 to 90 minutes of physical
activity most days of the week.
3.
Moderation and Variety. Basically, the new MyPyramid
stresses not eating the same thing, and not eating too much
of any one thing. If all you ate was carrots and apples you
would not be as healthy as you could be. Make good food choices,
but allow yourself to have some variety in the foods and the
quantities you eat. To answer my opening question, eggs, butter,
and milk can be both bad and good. In moderation, and part of
a balanced diet, all three are very healthful choices.
Also from
the press release, "MyPyramid was developed to carry
the messages of the dietary guidelines and to make Americans
aware of the vital health benefits of simple and modest improvements
in nutrition, physical activity and lifestyle behavior."
Take a minute
and see how the new MyPyramid can help you make better decisions
about the food you eat.
For additional
information and resources associated with MyPyramid, visit their
website at www.mypyramid.gov.
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Great
Resources
for Even more Information
- www.nutritiondata.com
includes calorie counters, nutrients searches and numerous
articles on healthy diets and weight loss.
- www.weighwatchers.com
even if you are not a paying member, the site contains many
common-sense tidbits for the taking.
- www.mypyramid.gov
website sponsored by the USDA that helps individuals tailor
the food pyramid to their specific needs.
- www.nutrition.gov
the US Government had done a lot of the legwork for you with
this website; give it a try.
Additional
tips for a healthy diet:
·
Each 4-6 small meals a day instead of 3 larger ones.
· Don't skip breakfast! It really is
the most important meal of the day.
· Keep a food diary of all that you eat. If
you find yourself overeating, try jotting down how you feel
before, during and after you eat to identify patterns of emotional
eating.
· Keep an apple, orange or other healthful snack
handy to avoid running to the vending machine.
· Drink your water.
· Carry individual packets of low-calorie salad
dressings with you when eating out.
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