The food pyramid defines the essential principles of a healthy and balanced diet. Based on them, you can create many diet plans, adapting them to your goals: lose weight, improve health, increase energy.
What is a food pyramid?
The basis of the pyramid is the foods that you need to eat every day – to stay healthy. However, at the top of the pyramid are the products that you should access the least. Therefore, the most important – the most useful – foods are at the bottom, and the higher they are, the less space they should take on your menu. The distribution of these products on the graph assumes, first of all, the quantity – somehow the proportions of what you should consume the most and the least are determined. Thanks to the knowledge of these rules, you can easily create a full meal or even a meal plan for many months.
There is no single creator of this concept. It is being developed by research groups in many countries. The pyramid may vary slightly from country to country.
At the heart of the newly mandated food pyramid are grains such as cereals, pasta and starches. Fruits and vegetables are taking things to the next level. Even higher were meat, dairy products, nuts, fish, eggs and legumes, and at the top – fats (vegetable and animal) and sweets, sugary drinks and generally products containing sugar.
Physical activity at the base of the pyramid
The new food pyramid is based not on food, but on physical activity combined with drinking water. Why was this change made? Researchers have found that no diet, even the best one, will be effective if a person leads a sedentary lifestyle.
Vegetables and fruits instead of grains
Vegetables and fruits were placed just above physical activity, replacing grain products that previously formed the basis of nutrition.
There is a simple explanation for this change: vegetables contain the highest amount of vitamins, minerals, and the best doses of carbohydrates, which can be easily converted into energy. If the diet is based on vegetables and fruits, you can protect yourself from diseases of the cardiovascular and digestive systems.
Cereals
The next level is grain products such as pasta, cereals and bread. In this order in the food pyramid, it is recommended to consume them less often, not necessarily every day. This group also includes any oatmeal or rice flakes. If we get to grain products, they are best made from whole grains and processed as little as possible (dark pasta, paddy rice).
Dairy products (milk and milk products)
Above the cereals is milk and products from it. As a rule, dairy products should be consumed frequently, because they are important for the body, but, on the other hand, are not as important as, for example, vegetables and fruits. Dairy products include calcium as well as healthy protein and vitamin B12. The lack of these components can cause, for example, osteoporosis or bone decalcification.
Meat, fish, eggs and legumes
These foods are practically at the top of the food pyramid – you need to eat them, but limit the amount (no more than 2-3 times a week). Eggs contain vitamin D, which is important for healthy bones and teeth, as well as calcium absorption.
Fish and lean meats, in turn, provide your daily diet with valuable protein. Legumes are also in this group – why aren’t they at the base of the pyramid along with other vegetables? Legumes are high in protein, which can replace animal products, so this is kind of advice for vegetarians.
Vegetable fats
The next level is vegetable fats, that is, all oils – it is recommended to replace animal fats with them. In the diet, for example, vegetable oil or margarine should be used instead of butter; instead of butter, sunflower oil, rapeseed oil, grape seed oil, linseed oil should be used instead of lard.
Why is it important to replace animal fats with vegetable fats? They contain unsaturated fatty acids, which means that they will not lead to a significant increase in blood cholesterol. Thanks to this, you are better protected from heart disease and keep your brain working.
Forbidden foods according to the food pyramid
The new pyramid also recommends limiting your salt intake. It can be successfully replaced with other spices or herbs and completely eliminated from use in the kitchen. Why? It is found in almost all prepared foods (bread, cheese, ham, etc.), so avoiding, for example, salting potatoes or tomatoes, is a step towards limiting salt in the diet.
Who is the food pyramid suitable for
The food pyramid is suitable for almost all people who want to eat right. Of course, everyone has a different need for different ingredients at each age – the nutritionists who make up the pyramid have not forgotten this and have prepared 3 options: the food pyramid for children and adolescents, the food pyramid for adults and the food pyramid for the elderly.
However, it should be remembered that the food pyramid is not a specialized diet and does not take into account many factors, such as chronic diseases or allergies. This is a very individual matter, and the recommendations of the nutrition pyramid should guide the individual nutrition plan of a physician or nutritionist. A simple example that the pyramid cannot be used blindly is gluten intolerance or celiac disease, in which gluten should be automatically eliminated from the diet. Another example is lactose intolerance, in which dairy products placed in the food pyramid should be completely eliminated.
Food pyramid and vegetarianism
The food pyramid, although it contains meat and dairy products, can be used as a staple food for vegetarians or vegans. Meat should be replaced with legumes, and also eat more vegetable fats. It is also recommended to eat more nuts.
On the other hand, dairy products that are unacceptable for a vegan diet can be successfully replaced with plant-based foods that contain calcium, iron, and vitamin B12. Some nutritionists recommend protein supplementation for vegans, especially those who are physically active at the same time.
Food pyramid for the elderly
The food pyramid also introduces other recommendations for seniors over 60. His important recommendation is vitamin D3 supplementation, which older adults should take at an average dose of 2,000 units per day. In addition, according to the WHO, older people should engage in 150 minutes of physical activity per week – even in the form of walking. The recommendations also include fluid intake – about 2 liters per day.
Food pyramid in children’s nutrition
The food pyramid is also designed for children – from an early age, from infancy. Infants who are expanding their diet are encouraged to consume gluten-free foods between the ages of 4 and 12 months. Breastfed infants should not be on an expanded diet at all until they are 6 months of age. Juices can be entered into the menu only after 12 months. These and other changes are described in more detail in the food pyramid and recommendations of the World Health Organization.
The Benefits of Using Pyramid Nutrition
By following the recommendations of the pyramid, you will improve your condition, support the work of all body systems, gain more energy and reduce the amount of adipose tissue. In addition, you regulate your blood sugar levels and speed up your metabolism. However, in order for the diet to be effective, remember that nutrition must be not only healthy, but also balanced. The time of day you eat is just as important as the amount of water you drink.
The food pyramid has changed over the years based on scientific reports and updated recommendations for healthy eating. All the pyramids developed so far differ from each other, mainly in the amount recommended for the consumption of individual products, as well as their position in the nutritional hierarchy.
The first dietary tables and nutritional standards were published in the United States in the 19th century. These tables included, among others, proteins, fats and carbohydrates. However, the first official recommendations were published after the First World War, where the following groups were distinguished:
- protein (milk and meat) – 10% of food;
- bread – 20%;
- vegetables and fruits – 30%;
- other products (fats, sweets, etc.) – 40%.
New recommendations were published in 2005. USDA experts have unveiled a new food pyramid that, however, did not show the number of servings for specific food groups. The new pyramid includes the division of grain products into whole grains and non-whole grains. Vegetables are divided into green, orange, starchy and legumes. From dairy products, it was recommended to choose products with a reduced fat content. The next group was divided into meat, eggs, poultry, legumes and nuts. The last group – fats – was divided into vegetable and animal.
In the same year, another pyramid was introduced in the United States: the Harvard Healthy Eating Pyramid. It was based on physical activity. Then vegetables and fruits were placed, as well as vegetable oils and whole grains. Foods such as red meat, butter, sugary drinks, salt, pasta, bread, rice, and potatoes are not recommended in this pyramid. One side of the pyramid also has information about indications for vitamin D and calcium supplements.
In 2011, the Harvard School also released the so-called “Healthy Eating Table”, which graphically represents the quantitative distribution of individual food groups on the plate. According to him, half of the plate should be used for vegetables and fruits, 1/4 for whole grains, and the rest for a protein source.
