Nutrition: Back to the Basics…The Food

Pyramid

Bulletin Board IdeaSubmitted by: Chris Brooks

Ohio Wesleyan University

Back to the Basics...

THE FOOD PYRAMID

What foods are in the grain group?

• Any food made from wheat, rice, oats, cornmeal, barley or another cereal grain is a grain product. Bread, pasta, oatmeal, breakfast cereals, tortillas, and grits are examples of grain products.

• Grains are divided into 2 subgroups, whole grains and refined grains.

Refined grains have been milled, a process that removes the bran and germ. This is done to give grains a finer texture and improve their shelf life, but it also removes dietary fiber, iron, and many B vitamins.

Source: Diets In Review.com

What foods are in the vegetable group?

• Any vegetable or 100% vegetable juice counts as a member of the vegetable group. Vegetables may be raw or cooked; fresh, frozen, canned, or dried/dehydrated; and may be whole, cut-up, or mashed.

Buy vegetables in season

Stock up on frozen vegetables for quick and easy cooking in the microwave.

Buy vegetables that are easy to prepare. Pick up pre-washed bags of salad greens and add baby carrots or grape tomatoes for a salad in minutes. Buy packages of veggies such as baby carrots or celery sticks for quick snacks.

Picture Source: IBS Pro!

For the best nutritional value:

• Select vegetables with more potassium, such as sweet potatoes, white potatoes, white beans, tomato products (paste, sauce, and juice), beet greens, soybeans, lima beans, winter squash, spinach, lentils, kidney beans, and split peas.

• Sauces or seasonings can add calories, fat, and sodium to vegetables. Use the nutrition facts label to compare the calories and percent daily value for fat and sodium in plain and seasoned vegetables.

• Prepare more foods from fresh ingredients to lower sodium intake. Most sodium in the food supply comes from packaged or processed foods.

• Buy canned vegetables labeled “no salt added.” If you want to add a little salt it will likely be less than the amount in the regular canned product.

Picture Source: Made-In-China.com

• Any fruit or 100% fruit juice counts as part of the fruit group. Fruits may be fresh, canned, frozen, or dried, and may be whole, cut-up, or pureed.

For the best nutritional value:

Make most of your choices whole or cut-up fruit rather than juice, for the benefits dietary fiber provides.

• Select fruits with more potassium often, such as bananas, prunes and prune juice, dried peaches and apricots, cantaloupe, honeydew melon, and orange juice.

• When choosing canned fruits, select fruit canned in 100% fruit juice or water rather than syrup.

• Vary your fruit choices. Fruits differ in nutrient content.

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What foods are included in the milk, yogurt, and cheese (milk) group?

• All fluid milk products and many foods made from milk are considered part of this food group. Foods made from milk that retain their calcium content are part of the group, while foods made from milk that have little to no calcium, such as cream cheese, cream, and butter, are not. Most milk group choices should be fat-free or low-fat.

Health benefits : Diets rich in milk and milk products help build and maintain bone mass throughout the lifecycle. This may reduce the risk of osteoporosis.

• The intake of milk products is especially important to bone health during childhood and adolescence, when bone mass is being built.

• Diets that include milk products tend to have a higher overall nutritional quality.

Picture Source: Pasha Group

• All foods made from meat, poultry, fish, dry beans or peas, eggs, nuts, and seeds are considered part of this group. Dry beans and peas are part of this group as well as the vegetable group.

• Proteins function as building blocks for bones, muscles, cartilage, skin, and blood. They are also building blocks for enzymes, hormones, and vitamins.

• B vitamins (niacin, thiamin, riboflavin, and B6) found in this food group serve a variety of functions in the body. They help the body release energy, play a vital role in the function of the nervous system, aid in the formation of red blood cells, and help build tissues.

• Vitamin E is an anti-oxidant that helps protect vitamin A and essential fatty acids from cell oxidation.

• Iron is used to carry oxygen in the blood. Many teenage girls and women in their child-bearing years have iron-deficiency anemia. They should eat foods high in heme-iron (meats) or eat other non-heme iron containing foods along with a food rich in vitamin C, which can improve absorption of non-heme iron.

• Magnesium is used in building bones and in releasing energy from muscles. Zinc is necessary for biochemical reactions and helps the immune system function properly. Picture Source: How to Lose Belly Fat Fast.net

What are “oils”?

• Oils are fats that are liquid at room temperature, like the vegetable oils used in cooking. Oils come from many different plants and from fish.

• Many sources of oils are: corn oil, canola oil, cottonseed oil, olive oil, safflower oil, soybean oil, sunflower oil, nuts, olives, some fish, and avocados.

• Most of the fats you eat should be polyunsaturated (PUFA) or monounsaturated (MUFA) fats. Oils are the major source of MUFAs and PUFAs in the diet. PUFAs contain some fatty acids that are necessary for health—called “essential fatty acids.”

Picture Source: Olives 101

What is a "Healthy Diet"?

• The Dietary Guidelines describe a healthy diet as one that

• Emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products;

• Includes lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts; and

• Is low in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, salt (sodium), and added sugars.

For more information, visit MyPyramid.gov