The Food Pyramid for Kids is a set of dietary guidelines to help kids make healthy food choices. It has vertical striped colors with each color representing a food group. According to the USDA, a healthy diet is one that emphasizes eating fruits, vegetables, whole-grains, fat-free or low-fat milk products, lean fish, poultry, meats, eggs and nuts. The goal of the food pyramid is to help kids make educated choices from every food group and get the most nutrition out of calories, staying within their individual daily caloric needs.
Grains: Orange
The grain group is the color orange in the food pyramid, which is further divided into two sub-groups: whole grains and refined grains. Food examples in the grain group include foods made from wheat, oats, rice, barley and cornmeal. Pasta, breads and cereals are examples of foods made from grains. Whole grains are defined as grains that contain the entire grain kernel (bran, germ and endosperm) and include foods such as oatmeal, bulgar, whole-wheat flour and brown rice, according to the USDA MyPyramid Food Guide.
Fruits: Red
All fruits and juices that contain 100 percent fruit juice are considered part of the fruit group. The fruit group is the color red in the food pyramid. Eating fruits and vegetables provides nutrients that are vital to the health and maintenance of your body, reducing risk of some chronic diseases and heart disease, according to the USDA MyPyramid Food Guide. A diet rich in fruits and vegetables can protect against mouth, stomach and colon-rectal cancers. Fruits are low in fat and sodium and have no cholesterol and are an important source of potassium, vitamin C and dietary fiber.
Vegetables: Green
The vegetable group is the color green in the food pyramid and any vegetable or juice containing 100 percent vegetable juice counts as part of the vegetable group. Diets that are rich in fruits and vegetables may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. Most vegetables are low in fat, have no cholesterol and are low in calories. Vegetables are a good source of nutrients like potassium, vitamins A, E and C and folate.
Oils & Fats: Yellow
Oils are made from plants, nuts and fish like canola, corn, olive, safflower and soybean oils. Oils that are from plant sources do not contain any cholesterol, but oils like coconut and palm oils are high in saturated fats. Fats are solid at room temperature and include butter, margarine, shortening and animal fats. According to the USDA MyPyramid Food Guide, polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fats contain essential fatty acids, oils band are necessary for health and do not raise LDL (bad) cholesterol in the blood.
Milk and Dairy Products: Blue
Liquid milk products and foods made from milk are considered part of the milk and dairy products food group. However, foods made from milk that have little or no calcium content are not part of this food group. Low-fat milk and dairy products are good choices for consumption.
Meat, Beans, Fish and Nuts: Purple
Meat choices should be low in fat or lean. Fish, beans and nuts should be selected over eating meat since they contain healthy oils. Processed meats and deli meats have added sugars and sodium, and it is important to check the labels before consuming these types of meat products.
Member Comments