Food pyramid - the basis of proper nutrition for every day

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

The food pyramid is a kind of scheme of the principles of a he althy diet. It was developed by the Harvard School of Public He alth. Proposed by American nutritionists, the food pyramid was approved by specialists from the Institute of Nutrition of the Russian Federation. If you use the proposed scheme, your body will receive all the components it needs, vitamins, vegetable fibers and fatty acids from the food consumed, you will avoid high-calorie pro

ducts and will not gain excess weight.

What does the food pyramid look like?

Schematically, it is an isosceles triangle, which is divided into four floors by horizontal lines. The height of the floors of the pyramid is approximately the same. The lower the floor, the more products of this group should be on your table. Conversely, on the topmost tier are those foods that should be eaten as little as possible.

1 floor (base of the pyramid). Here are cereal whole grain products - rye flour bread, pasta, brown rice and other cereals (buckwheat, oatmeal, corn,barley). The number of servings per day is from 6 to 11. Products from this group should form the basis of your diet, they are rich in dietary plant fibers and provide the body with energy reserves. Bread made from refined flour is not included in this group, it is on the top floor of the pyramid, along with sweets and fats. Potatoes were previously included in this group but have now been moved to the top tier due to their high starch content, which contributes to weight gain.

2nd floor. It is divided between vegetables and fruits. Eat 2-4 servings of fruits and 3-5 servings of vegetables per day. Include a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, preferably in different colors, in your daily diet. Your menu should include orange, red, yellow and green fruits. Frozen foods can replace fresh foods if properly prepared. Instead of a portion of fruits and vegetables, you can use their substitutes - natural fruit juices, as well as dried fruits.

3rd floor. This includes protein foods (meat, nuts, fish, seeds, eggs, and legumes). They should be eaten in the amount of 2-3 servings per day. Dairy products (cottage cheese, cheeses, yoghurts, kefir) are at the same level, the recommended daily servings are 2-3. You should choose lean meat, skinless poultry, sea fish (it should be included in the diet several times a week). But industrial semi-finished products, sausages, bacon should be limited.

4th floor. This includes fats (butter and vegetable oil), sweets, confectionery, carbonated drinks and desserts. They are not in vain at the top,their number in the menu should be minimal. The body cannot do without fatty foods, they are necessary for the course of biochemical reactions and the synthesis of vitamins. Preference should be given to natural vegetable oils - olive, corn, linseed, sunflower.

The food pyramid as a percentage is as follows: the products of the first floor - 40% of the daily diet, the second - 35%, the third floor - 20%, and the fourth floor - 5%.

What is proper nutrition for every day? This is a few servings of products from the lower level, 5 servings of vegetables and fruits, 2-3 servings of protein foods.

What is a serving?

This is a conventional unit, the size of which is selected individually, depending on the energy needs of a person. If you take 100 grams per serving, then your menu should contain products in the following ratio: 700 grams of porridge and 300 grams of bread, 400 grams of vegetables and 300 grams of fruit, 150 grams of meat, fish, cheese, 2-3 eggs. If a serving is taken as 70 grams, then the amount of all products is reduced accordingly.

If you want to reduce your weight, then the food pyramid is an excellent model of a balanced diet, only the portion size should be reduced. And for people engaged in strenuous physical labor, the number of products must be increased, for example, for one serving, take not 100 grams, but 200.

If you want to prolong your life and maintain he alth until old age, you should take into account the principles of a he althy diet, include a variety of foods withall levels of the pyramid. Moderate physical activity and drinking enough water - 8 glasses a day for the average person - is important to help prolong life.