The most prominent healthy diet pyramids were formulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The USDA urges you to base your diet on MyPyramid, which was devised in 2005. MyPyramid gives specific advice on six food groups---grains, vegetables, fruits, milk, meats and beans, and oils---on the Mypyramid.gov website. Its recommended food quantity is listed in cups or ounces instead of servings and varies depending on your gender, age, height and weight.
Grains
Grains should be eaten more than any other food in the MyPyramid healthy diet pyramid. The USDA recommends that whole grains constitute more than 50 percent of your daily grains consumption. The USDA urges you to eat at least 3 ozs. of whole-grain bread, cereal, crackers, pasta or rice daily. Its other tips in the grains section include eating brown rice and whole-wheat pasta.
Vegetables
Vegetables should be eaten less than foods in the grains food group but more than foods in the fruits and milk food groups, according to the USDA's healthy diet pyramid. The USDA advises you on its vegetables group home page to eat more dark green vegetables, orange vegetables, and dry beans and peas. Its tips include eating carrots or celery as snacks, buying fresh vegetables in season because that is when they taste best and cost less, and lightly steaming vegetables.
Fruits
You should eat fruits with a lot of potassium, according to the MyPyramid healthy diet pyramid. The USDA's high-potassium recommendations include bananas, cantaloupe, dried apricots and peaches, honeydew melon, orange juice, prunes, and prune juice. If you like canned fruits, you should select fruits canned in water or fruit juice rather than syrup.
Milk
You should eat roughly the same amount of food in the fruits and milk groups. However, the MyPyramid healthy diet pyramid discourages drinking whole milk. You should "switch gradually to fat-free milk to lower saturated fat and calories," urges the USDA. Low-fat (1 percent) and reduced-fat (2 percent) milk are recommended as you make the transition. In addition, the healthy diet pyramid recommends eating low-fat or fat-free yogurt as a snack.
Meats and Beans
MyPyramid's shape makes it clear that you should eat far fewer foods in the meats and beans section than in the grains, vegetables, fruits and milk sections. Meats that are baked, boiled or grilled are better. Lean meats are recommended, including bottom round, round eye, round tip, top round, ham, pork center loin, pork loin, pork tenderloin, beef top loin and top sirloin. "Go lean on protein," the MyPyramid healthy diet pyramid also urges.
Oils
The oils section in the MyPyramid is very small. It's squeezed between the fruits and milk pyramids. The USDA urges you to get most of the fat in your diet from polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats. These fats are found in fish, nuts and vegetable oils. They don't increase your bad blood cholesterol level like other fats. Butter, lard, shortening and stick margarine should be avoided, according to the healthy diet pyramid.
References
- USDA MyPyramid.gov
- "Essentials for Health and Wellness"; Gordon Edlin, Eric Golanty, Kelli McCormack Brown; 2000
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