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The Healthy Eating Pyramid
Great ideas on how to use the healthy eating pyramid as your best weight loss plan with the latest scientific research in dietary health.
The pyramid is developed by the Harvard School of Public Health and is easy to use.
Copyright © 2008. For more information about The Healthy Eating Pyramid, please see The Nutrition Source, Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, http://www.thenutritionsource.org , and Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy, by Walter C. Willett, M.D. and Patrick J. Skerrett (2005), Free Press/Simon & Schuster Inc.
My tips on
How to use the Healthy Eating PyramidIn the base of the pyramid you’ll find daily exercise and weight control, basic parts of a healthy lifestyle. Our bodies are made for moving, so to achieve a healthy fit body it’s not enough to focus only on healthy eating habits, you also need to get off the couch.
In general, when you eat according to the healthy eating pyramid, you choose more foods from the bottom of the pyramid (vegetables, whole grains) and less form the top (red meat, refined grains), the exact amount of calories, of course, depending on sex, age, and lifestyle.
It’s more important to focus on what kind of food you eat, than on how much you eat. You cut back on food at the top of the pyramid and replace it with food from the bottom.
This means that you make sure most of your meals include whole grain foods, such as oatmeal, whole-wheat bread and brown rice, instead of refined grains in the form of, for example, white bread and white rice.
You choose good fats such as plant oil (preferably olive oil, canola oil, soybean oil, corn oil and sunflower seed oil) over animal fats (butter) and of course, avoid trans fats. You also get good quality fat from nuts, that are to prefer over starchy snacks such as potato chips.
Non-starchy vegetables are an excellent replacement for potatoes and pasta and should be eaten daily.
You can easily replace red meat and get excellent quality protein from beans and lentils or fish, poultry and eggs.
Dairy products are near the top of the pyramid meaning that you shouldn’t consume too much of this kind of food. Calcium is necessary for the bones, but dairy is not the only source, many vegetables and beans also contain calcium.
When you want something sweet, try fresh fruit smoothies instead of sugary drinks and avoid pastries as much as possible. You will soon find delicious alternatives in the form of fresh fruits in different forms.
To make sure you get all the micronutrients (vitamins and trace element) you need you may consider adding a nutritional supplement to your diet.
And you may even enjoy a glass of wine – or two, a day. It has many healthy benefits for many people, but it's not for everyone. If you don’t drink there is no reason to start, the health benefits of wine can be achieved in other ways. As well, if you think you might be a problem drinker, it would be better to abstain.
If you want deeper knowledge of the Healthy Eating Pyramid, the following is the book on the subject with the information right from the source:
Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy, by Walter C. Willett, M.D. and Patrick J. Skerrett (Available from Amazon.com.)
With you on the weigh,
Eva
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Healthy Weight Loss Made Easy
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