When you see a food Pyramid, what comes to the mind is obviously, the food! The pyramid is all about how you can incorporate vitamins and minerals into the food of your daily diet.
Supplements are a good alternative for the daily dose of vitamins and minerals, but they are not essential and are usually not preferred. They may not supply all the anti-oxidants, photochemicals, or omega-3 fatty acids, which are all beneficial for our body. But food supplies all these and much more.
A proper diet can give you all the necessary nutrients required for your body in a balanced way. Also, it is rather a cheaper way to get the nutrients. Okay, so what is a food pyramid?
The base of the Food
Pyramid:
Water - yes, water has to be the base for food pyramids of all age groups. Water is an essential part of our life and it is free! It may not contain any vitamins but it sure helps in flushing out the toxins out of our body.
Water prevents dehydration of the body thus reducing tiredness, fatigue, and sunstroke. Drinking a liter of water in the morning does help in keeping your body free of some ailments. Alternatively, you need to consume at least 8 glasses of water in a day.
Level 1 - Grains
According to the USDA approved food pyramid, you need to consume about 6 servings of grains a day. The grains come in many forms such as wheat, oatmeal, cornmeal, brown rice, bulgur (racked wheat), etc and they also come in two varieties, whole grains and refined grains.
Typically, in the diet you need to incorporate bread, cereal, rice, and pasta, which contain one or more of the grains. You’d be well off to look for whole grains.
Refined grains as opposed to whole grains are milled and are stripped off of the dietary fiber and other natural nutrients like iron and B vitamins. They are added back to the grains after processing and that’s what it is when you see “enriched” or “bleached” in food products.
It is always better to opt for whole grain breads, whole-wheat pasta, brown or basmati rice, oatmeal and bran in your daily diet. While white rice sure tastes good, it loses most of the nutrients when it is processed. So nutritionally, whole grains of good quality give you the most vitamins and minerals and lots of fiber too.
Level 2 - Vegetables & Fruits
This level is divided into two parts, vegetables and fruits, both of which are equally important in the diet. The food pyramid recommends 2-4 servings each of vegetables and fruits per day.
Vegetables contain almost all the vitamins such as the Vitamin A, B, C, E, and K, which are found in carrots, spinach and other leafy vegetables, legumes, tomatoes, cabbage etc.
Fruits contain Vitamins A, B, C, and E, which are found in apricots, mangoes, oranges, strawberries, blueberries, etc.
These vegetables and fruits not only supply important vitamins and minerals, they are also rich in anti-oxidants and soluble fiber.
Level 3 - Dairy & Meat
This level is also divided into two parts, Dairy/Dairy products and Meat, Fish, Poultry, and Beans.
The food pyramid recommends 2-3 servings of dairy and dairy products per day. It may be in the form of milk, yogurt, and/or cheese. Dairy provides the benefits of Vitamins A, B, C, D, and K. It provides the necessary calcium components needed for strong and healthy bones.
The food pyramid recommends 2 servings of meat, poultry, fish, and/or legumes (beans) in the daily diet. Meat provides the protein, which is essential for the muscles in the body.
They also provide Vitamins A and B complex. Legumes such as beans and lentils also provide protein and Vitamin E, which helps the skin and hair.
Level 4 - Fats, Oils & Sweets
This is the last level in the pyramid and needs to be consumed sparingly. The oils and fats are high in cholesterol even though they provide some amount of calcium, Vitamin D, and B12 supplements.
Sweets do not benefit you with vitamins and minerals and thus need to be consumed in small amounts.
Some good quality fats/oils are flaxseed oil, sunflower oil, and olive oils.
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