The Food Guide Pyramid

So what is this Food Pyramid? (Click on the button that you think fits best) An Egyptian refrigerator. A stack of Tater Tots. It’s a guide that helps us choose healthy foods.

Nope try again.

Okay, it is a pyramid of food but it’s not THE Food Pyramid. Try again.

This is what it looks like. You can click on it for a bigger view. From USDA It’s a guide that helps us make healthy food choices. It tells us all the food groups our bodies need and how many servings of each group we need. Food Guide Pyramid

Most Recent Food Guide Pyramid

So, why is it shaped like a pyramid? The base or the bottom of the pyramid is the grain, cereal and bread group. We need 6 to 11 servings of this group. Nutrients for Grains: Dietary Fiber, B6, B 12, Iron From USDA

The next layer up is the fruits and vegetables group.You need 2 to 4 servings of the fruits and 3 to 5 servings of the vegetables. Nutrients for Vegetables: Potassium, Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A,Vitamin C, and Folate (folic acid). Nutrients for Fruit: Potassium, Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C, and Folate (folic acid). From USDA

The next layer is the dairy and the protein groups. We need 2 to 3 servings a day of the dairy group and 2 to 3 servings of the protein group. Nutrients for Dairy: Vitamin D, Calcium, Potassium Nutrients for Protein: Protein, B vitamins (niacin, thiamin, riboflavin, and B6), Vitamin E, Iron, Zinc, and Magnesium From USDA

The tip-top of the pyramid is the sugar,fats, and salt group. Guess what? We don’t need to make choices for that group because if we eat foods from the other groups we get all the fats, sugars and salt our bodies need. But that’s the fun group!!! If you eat a little bit from this group it’s okay but concentrate on getting foods from the other groups. From USDA

Make half fruits and vegetables ChooseMyPlate.gov

The shape of the Pyramid is balanced. If we make the best food choices our diets will be balanced, which means our health will be balanced. From Healthy Kid’s Challenge

Maybe you’re too tired to do your work at school, You’re cranky, Cuts and injuries might take longer to heal, Or it takes longer to get over a cold. Our bodies don’t come tumbling down, but little things might happen like: From Barry’s ClipArt

In the long run if we don’t choose a healthy diet we have a greater chance of getting some bad diseases like: Heart disease Diabetes Obesity From Barry’s ClipArt

Our bodies are unique, complicated machines. Food is our fuel. It gives us energy, vitamins, minerals, and special compounds or nutrients that keep us running smoothly. From Barry’s ClipArt

Each group on the Pyramid contains certain nutrients. If we eat foods from each group we’ll be sure to get all the nutrients we need. From Barry’s ClipArt

You may have seen some of those nutrients on the labels of some of the foods you have eaten. Some are: protein carbohydrates iron vitamin C calcium cholesterol Click on the bowl of fruit to see a couple of food labels. From Barry’s ClipArt

Aim for Fitness 1. Aim for a healthy weight. Dangers of improper weight: Being underweight causes bone damage, nutrient deficiencies, organ failure, hair loss, skin changes, constipation, menstrual irregularities, and infertility. Being overweight causes high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain cancers. 2. Be physically active each day (Losing more than 1-2 pounds a week is not healthy.) BUILD A HEALTHY BASE

1. Let the Pyramid guide your choices. 2. Choose a variety of grains daily, especially whole grains. Whole grains contain a greater variety of nutrients and more fiber than other grains) 3. Choose a variety of fruits and vegetables daily. 4. Keep food safe to eat by keeping the food preparation and eating areas, utensils, and hands clean. Avoid cross contamination Avoid the bacterial danger zone of 40 to 140 degrees.

CHOOSE SENSIBLY 1. Choose a diet that is low in saturated fat and cholesterol and moderate in total fat. Health risks from a high-fat diet are obesity, heart disease, diabetes, forms of cancer, and high blood cholesterol levels. Tips for reducing fat: Substitute lean meats, fish, legumes, etc. for fatty meats. Trim off fat and skin on meat. Drink fat-free milk instead of whole. Bake, broil, or boil instead of frying your foods. Use cream, margarine, butter, and eggs in moderation. 2. Choose beverages and foods to moderate your intake of sugar. 3. Choose and prepare foods with less salt. Dangers of hypertension (blood pressure over 140/90): It causes an increase in the risk of heart disease. Avoid high salt-content food. Canned and frozen foods have added salt, so fresh food is the best. 4. If you drink alcoholic beverages, do so in moderation