Understanding the New Food Pyramid | Lifestyle

Perhaps you have seen the old food pyramid in a newspaper or magazine or you might have seen it on the doctor's surgery wall. There is now a new food pyramid, which is easier to read and use.

by KCKudra

Perhaps you have seen the old food pyramid in a newspaper or magazine or you might have seen it on the doctor's surgery wall. There is now a new food pyramid, which is easier to read and use.

On the older version of the food pyramid, there are several main food groups, stacked on top of each other. The biggest food group, which is on the bottom layer, is rice, bread, cereal, and pasta. This is what you need to eat the most of. Next up are vegetables and fruit. On top of that are dairy, meat, fish, eggs, nuts, and beans and right at the top is fats, which you should eat the least of.

The new food pyramid has vertical rainbow colored stripes to show the different food groups. It also tells you how many ounces or cups of each food group you should consume each day, rather than how many servings. A lot of people are unclear how big a "serving" should be.

Is it Important to Follow the Food Pyramid?

The new food pyramid encourages a balanced diet, which is something that all healthcare professionals agree upon. Your body needs a combination of grains, fruits, vegetables, dairy and meat or poultry to function properly. It is possible to eat healthily on a vegetarian diet or vegan diet but you will need to make substitutions, such as eating beans or tofu instead of meat or poultry.

All Foods are Allowed

There are no banned foods on the food pyramid but you should eat more grains than fruit and more dairy products than oils and butter. If you are a lover of fried chicken recipes, you can make them but not every single day. Chicken is lean and healthy and oils are essential to the body.

You might want to serve your deep fried chicken with some salad or vegetables to balance it out or you might want to eat plenty of fruit and grains for lunch and enjoy the fried chicken in the evening. There is no reason why you cannot be healthy and also be able to enjoy your favorite foods.

Banning all fried food or sugars from your diet is going to make you feel deprived. Eating everything in moderation is good for you and is also enjoyable. Unless your doctor has given you a special dietary plan for health reasons, the saying "a little of what you fancy does you good" is very true and the body is sophisticated enough to extract the nutrients out of what you eat to use and send the waste on its way.

Eating a balanced diet does not mean a whole fried chicken in one hand and a pack of donuts in the other but it does mean eating some of everything and including each food group in your daily diet.

So if you were worried about what the new food pyramid means and you want to know if it is still fine to enjoy your favorite southern fried chicken recipe, the answer is a resounding yes!

DISCLAIMER: This article is provided as information only and is not to be taken as financial advice.

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