Is The Food Pyramid Really That Important?:

Earlier this year, Tommy Thompson, head of the Department of Health and Human Services for the United States government announced changes to the "food pyramid" that greatly changed some previous notions about the pyramid.

For decades, the food pyramid has served as a guideline for healthy eating and is a visual guide used to illustrate how much of each food group you should be eating. However, is the food pyramid really that important?

If you are looking for an easy way to add some order to your dietary lifestyle, yes the food pyramid can be very important. However, it is important to remember that every body is different and may have different needs. Before immediately changing your diet, you should check with your physician to make sure that you are on the right track.

There are also some additions to the food pyramid that were provided to serve as extra guidelines towards maintaining a healthy lifestyle. With obesity rates on the rise in the United States, it is becoming more important that ever to curtail our current habits and add in some useful dietary tips as well as regular exercise.

So, what does the food pyramid recommend?

At the top of the pyramid we have our fats and sweets group. This is the group that should appear in your diet the least. It is important to limit your fat grams to 25 to 35% of your daily caloric intake. In addition to limiting fat, it is also essential to make sure that you are getting the right type of fats in your diet. Try to steer clear of saturated fats, and stick with vegetable oils that provide mono or poly un-saturated fats. These fats can help you lower your cholesterol.

Next, we have the dairy group, on the same level as the meat group. Your dairy products should include 3 to 4 servings per day and should come from skim or low fat milk, or dairy substitutes, such as soy milk.

The meat group in the pyramid allows for 2-3 servings per day. This area should include low-fat cuts of meat and high protein foods such as turkey, chicken, and seafood.

Next we have our vegetable and fruit groups in the pyramid. We should be eating 3 to 5 servings of vegetables a day and 3 to 4 servings of fruit per day.

Lastly, we have our bread or whole grain group. This is the largest section of the pyramid, and as such, allows the most portions per day. It is recommended that we have 6 to 11 servings of whole grains each day.

It can seem overwhelming to fit all of these food groups into one day, especially when you add them all up. However, keep in mind that a serving is usually less than 8 oz and sometimes as low as 3 oz. Once you get the hang of it, you can use the food pyramid as an effective guide for healthier living and weight loss.

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