A balanced diet is one that provides the nutrition that you need for optimal development and growth, as well as the energy that you need to go about your daily activities, according to Medline Plus. However, just what you should eat as a part of that balanced diet isn't always clear, since new research is always coming out.
History
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, or USDA, adopted the original food guide pyramid in 1982 to make it easier for people to figure out what they should be eating as part of a balanced diet. In 2005, the USDA came out with "My Pyramid" to take into account new research and try to make the advice contained more tailored to the individual. The Harvard School of Public Health still feels that this new pyramid leaves something to be desired, so they have also come up with their own updated Healthy Eating Pyramid in 2008.
Types
The two food pyramids, My Pyramid and the Healthy Eating Pyramid, each have a slightly different focus and give similar information with a few differences. My Pyramid aims to give people more individualized advice if they log on to the website and put in their information. The basic diagram is a striped pyramid with a figure going up steps on one side to represent the importance of exercise. The stripes vary in width depending on how much of that type of food is recommended for a balanced diet.
The Healthy Eating Pyramid is similar to the older USDA pyramid, with blocks containing pictures of the different types of foods. Those that are meant to be eaten more often are closer to the base and larger than those groups meant to be eaten less often. The very bottom of the pyramid focuses on weight control and exercise. This is meant to be a general guideline, so there are no amounts contained on the pyramid since this varies depending on the size and activity level of the individual.
Recommendations
Both the Harvard School of Public Health, or HSPH, and the USDA My Pyramid recommend basing your diet on whole grains, fruits and vegetables, poultry, fish, eggs and nuts and getting daily exercise. However, the HSPH recommends limiting red meat and refined grains and places these at the top of their Healthy Eating Pyramid. The USDA and HSPH also both recommend eating a diet low in trans fats, saturated fats, salt, cholesterol and added sugars.
Importance
Eating a balanced diet is very important because otherwise you could have problems maintaining your growth and development, body tissues, bone and muscle systems and brain and nervous system function, according to Medline Plus.
Balanced diets are also important for weight control, since part of eating a balanced diet is making sure to balance calories in with calories out, so that you do not become overweight.
Expert Insight
According to the USDA My Pyramid, you should stay within the amount of calories your body needs while getting the most nutrition out of the calories that you consume. You need to choose wisely from all of the different food groups and balance the food you eat with physical activity.
You should also eat at least three meals per day, including breakfast, and eat food from each food group at every meal, according to Medline Plus.
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