Anyone who wants to shed the extra pounds, maintain or still gain weight needs to follow a Balanced diet. This requires making the right choices and placing the optimal amounts of each type of food on the plate. That's where the little help from food pyramid.
Understanding the illustration is simpler than you might think. It serves as a guide, where you will find all the information you need to set up healthy meals and very simply and objectively indicate which nutrients to prioritize.
THE food pyramid It has a triangular shape and is divided into eight groups, formed from the nutritional characteristics of food. Each group has an indicated daily intake portion and each portion a set number of calories.
To put the food pyramid In day-to-day practice and eating the right meals, just check the calories of each food before eating and calculate the amount needed to form a serving.
Knowing the food pyramid
Group 1: Composed by carbohydrate foods, which form the base of the pyramid. Although considered true villains, the presence of carbohydrates in the diet is essential, since they are the largest source of energy for the body and contribute to the proper functioning of metabolism. According to the pyramid, the ideal is to consume five to nine servings of cabohydrate daily. Each serving has 150 calories.
Group 2: In it are vegetables, which are rich in vitamins, minerals, fiber and have nutrients essential to various functions of the body. A balanced diet should contain four to five servings of vegetables, including just 15 calories per serving. Give preference to dark green leafy vegetables (broccoli, mustard, collard greens) and yellow-orange vegetables (carrots, squash, beets, rich in beta-carotene).
Group 3: This is the group of fruits. They are great sources of vitamins, minerals and fiber, especially when consumed naturally. According to the pyramid, you need to consume three to five servings daily, with 35 calories each.
Group 4: Formed by milk and milk derivatives, the largest suppliers of calcium to the body. Calcium is an essential mineral in bone and tooth formation, muscle contraction and nervous system action. The food intake of this group should not exceed three servings daily, each with 120 calories.
Group 5: This is the group of food builders. They are named after them because they are needed for the construction and maintenance of organic tissues, the formation of enzymes, hormones, various fluids and secretions, and the preservation of the immune system. In it are the meat, eggs and fish. One to two servings of these foods should be eaten daily to ensure good amounts of protein, calcium, cholesterol, minerals such as zinc and iron. A portion of the meat and egg group contains 190 calories.
Group 6: In it are the legumessuch as beans, soy and peas. These foods have the advantage of offering calories without harming health, as well as specific proteins such as isoflavone, which fight many diseases. To enjoy the benefits, a daily portion of this group's 55-calorie food is recommended.
Group 7: On the last step of the pyramid are the oil and fat, considered energy foods, high in calories and cholesterol. They are important because they carry vitamins A, D, E, K. However, they should be consumed in small quantities: between one and two servings per day, with 73 calories.
Group 8: These are energy foods that provide many calories but few nutrients, so they should be consumed moderately. The indicated by the pyramid is not to exceed two portions of sugar and candies, with 110 calories each.
Regardless of the goal you want to achieve, the minimum amount of each of the food pyramid groups must be ingested. In the case of diets with high calorie restriction, it is possible to exclude the groups of fats or sugars from the diet. But no restricting food on your own, just do it with the guidance of a nutritionist and after knowing what your caloric need is.
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