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Nutrition: Back to the
Basics…The Food
Pyramid
Bulletin Board Idea
Submitted by: Chris Brooks
Ohio Wesleyan University
Back to the Basics...
THE FOOD PYRAMID
What foods are in the
grain group?
•
Any food made from wheat, rice, oats,
cornmeal, barley or another cereal
grain is a grain product. Bread, pasta,
oatmeal, breakfast cereals, tortillas,
and grits are examples of grain
products.
•
Grains are divided into 2 subgroups,
whole grains and refined grains.
Refined grains have been milled, a process
that removes the bran and germ. This is
done to give grains a finer texture and
improve their shelf life, but it also removes
dietary fiber, iron, and many B vitamins.
Source: Diets In Review.com
What foods are in the vegetable
group?
•
Any vegetable or 100% vegetable juice counts
as a member of the vegetable group. Vegetables
may be raw or cooked; fresh, frozen, canned, or
dried/dehydrated; and may be whole, cut-up, or
mashed.
Buy vegetables in season
Stock up on frozen vegetables for quick and
easy cooking in the microwave.
Buy vegetables that are easy to prepare. Pick up
pre-washed bags of salad greens and add baby
carrots or grape tomatoes for a salad in
minutes. Buy packages of veggies such as baby
carrots or celery sticks for quick snacks.
Picture Source: IBS Pro!
For the best nutritional value:
•
Select vegetables with more potassium, such as
sweet potatoes, white potatoes, white beans,
tomato products (paste, sauce, and juice), beet
greens, soybeans, lima beans, winter squash,
spinach, lentils, kidney beans, and split peas.
•
Sauces or seasonings can add calories, fat, and
sodium to vegetables. Use the nutrition facts
label to compare the calories and percent daily
value for fat and sodium in plain and seasoned
vegetables.
•
Prepare more foods from fresh ingredients to
lower sodium intake. Most sodium in the food
supply comes from packaged or processed
foods.
•
Buy canned vegetables labeled “no salt added.”
If you want to add a little salt it will likely be less
than the amount in the regular canned product.
Picture Source: Made-In-China.com
•
Any fruit or 100% fruit juice counts as part of
the fruit group. Fruits may be fresh, canned,
frozen, or dried, and may be whole, cut-up, or
pureed.
For the best nutritional value:
Make most of your choices whole or cut-up fruit
rather than juice, for the benefits dietary fiber
provides.
•
Select fruits with more potassium often, such as
bananas, prunes and prune juice, dried peaches
and apricots, cantaloupe, honeydew melon, and
orange juice.
•
When choosing canned fruits, select fruit canned
in 100% fruit juice or water rather than syrup.
•
Vary your fruit choices. Fruits differ in nutrient
content.
Picture Source: Smugbox
What foods are included in the
milk, yogurt, and cheese (milk)
group?
•
All fluid milk products and many foods made
from milk are considered part of this food group.
Foods made from milk that retain their calcium
content are part of the group, while foods made
from milk that have little to no calcium, such as
cream cheese, cream, and butter, are not. Most
milk group choices should be fat-free or low-fat.
Health benefits :
Diets rich in milk and
milk products help build and maintain bone mass
throughout the lifecycle. This may reduce the
risk of osteoporosis.
•
The intake of milk products is especially
important to bone health during childhood and
adolescence, when bone mass is being built.
•
Diets that include milk products tend to have a
higher overall nutritional quality.
Picture Source: Pasha Group
•
All foods made from meat, poultry, fish, dry beans or
peas, eggs, nuts, and seeds are considered part of this
group. Dry beans and peas are part of this group as
well as the vegetable group.
•
Proteins function as building blocks for bones, muscles,
cartilage, skin, and blood. They are also building blocks for
enzymes, hormones, and vitamins.
•
B vitamins (niacin, thiamin, riboflavin, and B6) found in this
food group serve a variety of functions in the body. They help
the body release energy, play a vital role in the function of the
nervous system, aid in the formation of red blood cells, and
help build tissues.
•
Vitamin E is an anti-oxidant that helps protect vitamin A and
essential fatty acids from cell oxidation.
•
Iron is used to carry oxygen in the blood. Many teenage girls
and women in their child-bearing years have iron-deficiency
anemia. They should eat foods high in heme-iron (meats) or
eat other non-heme iron containing foods along with a food
rich in vitamin C, which can improve absorption of non-heme
iron.
•
Magnesium is used in building bones and in releasing energy
from muscles. Zinc is necessary for biochemical reactions and
helps the immune system function properly.
Picture Source: How to Lose Belly Fat Fast.net
What are “oils”?
•
Oils are fats that are liquid at room temperature,
like the vegetable oils used in cooking. Oils come
from many different plants and from fish.
•
Many sources of oils are: corn oil, canola oil,
cottonseed oil, olive oil, safflower oil, soybean
oil, sunflower oil, nuts, olives, some fish, and
avocados.
•
Most of the fats you eat should be
polyunsaturated (PUFA) or monounsaturated
(MUFA) fats. Oils are the major source of MUFAs
and PUFAs in the diet. PUFAs contain some fatty
acids that are necessary for health—called
“essential fatty acids.”
Picture Source: Olives 101
What is a "Healthy Diet"?
•
The Dietary Guidelines describe a healthy diet
as one that
•
Emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and
fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products;
•
Includes lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs,
and nuts; and
•
Is low in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol,
salt (sodium), and added sugars.
For more information, visit
MyPyramid.gov