Intended for US audience only.
Food Pyramid
The Food Pyramid, a visualization of the five basic food groups, and is an excellent, easy-to-use reference tool to help you make sure you’re getting the proper nutrition on a daily basis for a healthy, balanced diet. By combining the pyramid with a daily exercise routine that meets your needs, you can improve your overall health and lifestyle.
The pyramid was updated in 2005 to make it easier to personalize the recommendations to your specific needs. Some suggestions:
- Eat at least 3 ounces of whole grain bread, cereal, crackers, rice, or pasta every day (look for “whole” before the grain name on lists of ingredients).
- Eat more dark green and orange vegetables and more dry beans and peas.
- Eat a variety of fresh, frozen, canned, or dried fruit, and go easy on fruit juices.
- Make most of your fat sources from fish, nuts, and vegetable oils; limit solid fats like butter, stick margarine, shortening, and lard.
- Use low-fat or fat-free milk; if you don’t or can’t consume milk, choose lactose-free products or other calcium sources.
- Choose low-fat or lean meats and poultry; bake, broil, or grill; and vary your choices with more fish, beans, peas, nuts, and seeds.
Pyramid image source: U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Used with permission. USDA has adopted a new approach that allows the development of personalized eating plans. Available at http://www.mypyramid.gov. Accessed on August 8, 2008.
Note: thereforyou.com does not recommend a particular treatment for specific individuals and recommends that you consult your treatment center or physician before pursuing any course of treatment.
