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FOOD PYRAMID
Abstract
I have made the conscious decision that I need to drastically change my eating habits in order
to adopt a healthier life style. The combination of trying to maintain my weight and trying to
keep up with a very busy schedule has resulted in my ignoring my basic nutritional needs as
demonstrated by the Food Pyramid.
FOOD PYRAMID
MY HEALTHY EATING PLAN ACCORDING TO THE FOOD PYRAMID
Introduction
In this essay, I have attempted to describe, as much as is possible, my current eating habits. I
have also outlined my personal nutritional recommendations based on the Pyramid. But, the
main part of my paper will detail how I intend to implement my re-vamped healthy eating plan
into my life with a minimum of discomfort on my part.
My Current Eating Habits
Like so many other busy people these days, I tend to buy processed foods, or fast
foods. Some of my regular means include frozen dinners, McDonald’s Combo meals, or Pizza
delivery. Occasionally, I cook my own food from “scratch” but the meals I prepare rarely
include fruit or vegetables. Pasta is something that I do cook and eat more frequently that a
lot of other foods, probably because it is easy and filling. Milk is not a part of my diet for the
most part. Unfortunately, snacks play a big part in my daily good intake. Again, it is easy to
pick up a sack of chips or a candy bar when I find myself hungry during the course of my day.
Notwithstanding the often recited “breakfast is the most important meal of the day,” I
find myself not eating breakfast most of the time. Of course, this means I will sometimes grab
a snack during the day, especially late morning, and it will almost certainly not be a healthy
choice of food. My mid-day meal and dinner are larger meals and where I would get most of
the nutrition in my diet. These two meals tend to be the “take out” foods, or something that I
fix quickly when I am rushing home from, or leaving for--other things.
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To be more precise about my diet, I estimate that my milk intake, for example is about
1/6 what is recommended. My vegetable and fruit portions are less than 1/3 of what the Food
Pyramid says is optimum. These fractional nutrition figures are indicative of my entire diet.
My Nutritional Recommendations
The United States Department of Agriculture’s Food Pyramid originated many years
ago and has gone through modifications over the years. The current Pyramid consists of six
vertical colored strips which signify the various food groups. These colored stripes are various
widths to show that the recommended intake differs between the food groups. I reviewed
the Pyramid and came up with nutritional recommendations which would be personal to me.
The Grain Group
The Grain Group is represented by a thick orange strip. Bread, cereal, rice, crackers and
pasta are included in this group. Whole grains are preferred over processed grain products, but
both are part of this categorization. Whole grains can be found in oatmeal, tortillas, popcorn,
and brown rice, among many other foods. Refined grain products include pretzels, ready-toeat cereal and white bread.
My particular recommendation is for 6 ounces of grain per day, with a minimum of 3
ounces. An example of one ounce of grains is a mini-bagel, one slice of bread, or ½ of an
English muffin.
The Vegetable Group
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The Vegetable Group is shown on the Pyramid by a heavy green strip. Technically a
vegetable is a part of a plant consumed by humans that is the stem, the root, or the flower of
the plant. Vegetables are very important because they contain a wide variety of vitamins and
minerals. Different vegetables include different nutrients. For example, dark orange and dark
green vegetables contain vitamin C, some contain iron and calcium. There are five subgroups
of vegetables: dark green, orange, dry beans and peas, starchy, and others. Quite obviously,
examples of this group are corn, carrots, peas, and green beans. Each subgroup consists of
vegetables with different nutrients and other qualities.
My particular recommendation is for 2 ½ cups of vegetables per day. The
recommendation for me, and for everyone else, is that the vegetables chosen are varied and
include some from each of the subgroups mentioned above. This would be the healthier
choices, but also serves to vary the diet, which goes a long way to maintain a healthy eating
plan.
The Fruit Group
A slightly narrower dark red strip signifies the Fruit Group on the Pyramid.
Fruits are the sweet tasting, seed bearing parts of plants or could sometimes be the
sweet parts of plants that do not bear seeds. Apples, oranges, plums, bananas and kiwi are
examples of fruits. Fruits are low in calories and fat and are a rich source of fiber and vitamins.
Previous Food Pyramids combined fruits and vegetables into the same group. However, fruits
definitely contribute certain nutrients to the diet and are now separated into a separate
designation.
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My particular recommendation is for 2 cups of fruit each day. One small apple would be
considered one cup of fruit. More examples of a cup of fruit would be 8 large strawberries, ½
cup of raisins, or 1 cup of fruit juice.
The Milk Group
The Milk group is represented by a medium-thick blue strip. The food in this goup
consists of products from the milk of mammals, usually cows. But, of course, goats and other
mammals can produce milk and these items are becoming more popular with consumers. But
milk is not the only food included here, there is also yogurt, cheese, pudding, and ice cream.
Milk and its derivative products are a rich source of the mineral calcium, as well as Vitamin D,
and phosphorus. Protein is also found abundantly in this Milk group. Something to watch for,
though, is that some milk products can be high in saturated fat and cholesterol, because of
being an animal product. Skimmed milk, low fat cheeses and yogurts are easy to obtain and
are an alternative to the higher fat content.
My particular recommendation is for 3 cups of milk products per day. An equivalent to
a straight cup of milk, pudding, or yogurt would be 1 ½ ounces of natural cheese or 1/3 cup of
shredded cheese.
The Meat & Beans Group
Meat is the tissue, most generally the muscle part, of an animal which is consumed by
humans. Meat is a source of protein, iron, zinc, and several vitamins. The Meat group is not
just red meat as it would first appear, but also includes chicken, turkey, fish, and eggs. Some
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of the same nutrients are also found in dry beans, nuts, and seeds, so they are included as
foods included in this group.
The Meat Group is another that while providing vital nutrients, can also be high in fat
and cholesterol and also in sodium. For this reason, large portions of fatty meats, or processed
meat products are not recommended. Those that do not consume meat products can use the
alternative dry beans, nuts and seeds. Included in this alternative to “meat” would be the
almost endless soy products on the market today.
My personal recommendation is for 5 ½ ounces of products from this group per day.
The Oils Group
The Oil Group is represented by a thin yellow strip, signifying that very little of this is
recommended. Oils in this group include those that remain liquid at room temperature, and
have no trans fat. Food sources for oil include nuts, fish, cooking oil, and salad dressing. But,
foods such as avacados, olives, and peanut butter also are a rich source of oil. As it could be
surmised, we must be careful about the consumption of too much of the Oil Group because of
the high caloric content.
My personal recommendation is for 6 teaspoons of food from this group each day.
My Plan to Implement Healthier Eating
I am supposed to have prepared a plan for healthier eating. I know myself and I know
that if I set up a strict regimen of a certain number of ounces of this, and so many cups of
that—my plan would fail. Instead of that, I decided to “blend” healthier choices of food into my
current lifestyle. For instance, it would not affect my food choices at all if I switched to whole
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grain breads and pastas. Grains are something I eat daily anyway, and I am just going to make
a better choice.
One problem I have found about my own eating is that I do not eat a large amount of
food. Therefore, I need to make sure my “blending” takes the foods I like and eat, is heavy
with the foods I need for good nutrition. Example—pizza. If I have a pizza, I am going to make
sure it is a whole grain crust, and with the shredded cheese, and the tomato sauce, I have
worked in 3 of my food portions from the Pyramid. I also plan to eliminate some of the soda
and coffee I drink during the day and substitute a fruit juice or yogurt smoothie. Fruits and Milk
have been difficult for me to work into my diet. As for snacks, who wouldn’t like a cup of
pudding, or strawberries dipped in just a tiny (ha!) bit of chocolate? This is just something I did
not think of most of the time.
Now, vegetables are difficult for me. I know myself and I know I am not going home to
chop and cook vegetables. I have discovered the most wonderful low sodium vegetable soups,
even gourmet varieties, which will be quick and easy to prepare and will provide about ½ my
daily vegetable requirements. There are also frozen dinners that have the meat portion,
vegetable portion and some fruit—all in the same package.
I believe that by studying what I should eat, and realizing that it does not have to be a
drastic change for me, I will be able to improve my nutrition painlessly and, I must say, happily.
Classes of Nutrients and Their Function
Nutrients can be divided into carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, minerals, lipids and water.
They can provide energy, promote growth and development, and regulate bodily functions.
Carbohydrates are the major source of energy for the body. This is one of the major nutrients
in my diet today.
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There are six major classes of nutrients found in food: carbohydrates , proteins , lipids
(fats and oils), vitamins (both fat-soluble and water-soluble ), minerals , and water. These six
nutrients can be further categorized into three basic functional groups. Cabohydrates are not
usually considered an essential nutrient, but the body does depend on them. However, my
ratio of these is higher than it should be for my healthy eating plan.
Proteins have lots of uses in the body such as tissue growth and maintenance and
essential biological functions. Bones, muscles and certain fluids have protein as their major
component. My food intake is too heavy in protein because fast food usually means
hamburgers, fish or chicken and too much protein. My research shows that Amercans in
general consume almost 2 times as much protein as they need.
Lipids are the fats and oils in our diets and I believe I consume too much of these
nutrients. My diet had a high fat content and not the right kind of fats. While lipids are
essential for bodily functions, too much is detrimental to the body.
What my diet has been lacking is the vitamins and minerals that the fruits and
vegetables provide. My new healthy eating plan will address this by slowing working these
nutrients into my diet.
FOOD PYRAMID
References