An Introduction to the Food Pyramid

We all struggle with finding out the nutritional values of what we eat on a daily basis. It can be a little complicated to keep track of all the different types of food items we consumer every day and their nutritional contents. Food pyramid can be of help with this daily-life confusion. The charts made available by the U.S Department of Agriculture are easy to understand and offer a great deal of information that can help you manage your nutrition intake.

 According to Sandra Meyerowitz, who is a professional nutritionist and nutritional coach, “The look of the food pyramid has changed”. It is a lot easier to understand than it used to be in the past. The improved version of the food pyramid is introduced to make things easier, according to her. She also adds, “People can take a quick look and understand without going into much details, The stripes on the pyramid are of varying widths, and that’s to represent that you need more of some foods and less of others.”  It is so because you can easily differentiate between the thicker strips for grains, vegetables and fruits, and thinner stripes for oils and meats. It can help the readers to differentiate the healthier options from the ones that are supposed to be eaten less often.

You should also keep in mind that the food pyramid is supposed to be an indicator of what is good and what is relatively bad, you are not supposed to make any strict dietary regulations out of it. Meyerowitz says that, “The pyramid is based on the average adults, it doesn’t take into consideration special dietary concerns or children.”

How to Use the Food Pyramid
You can look up for the daily total quantities for all food group on the food pyramid because of its easier and improved format that allows you to divide the amounts of your food with accordance to your dietary needs. You can get familiar with all of the various types of food groups in the food pyramid which will help you to calculate your daily nutrition intake more quickly. Experts suggest that you should divide your meal into quarters of different food groups. Reserve one half for vegetables, a quarter for proteins and the last part for whole grains. Fruits can be accommodated as a side dish or a dessert. According to Meyerowitz, “It's an easy way without using any calculations or measurements to know you're on the right track. The hallmarks of good nutrition are balance, variety, and moderation.”