the
FOOD
Pyramid
Steps to a healthier you
EQ: What is the proper way to eat healthy?
Eating Right Every Day
Achieving a Balanced Diet
 Use the Food Guide Pyramid as you select foods.
 Remember these guidelines:
• Eat at least the minimum number of servings from 5
food groups
• Choose low-fat and lean options
• Have a colorful plate
• Know what a single serving is
• Limit intake of fats, oils, and sweets
• Average 2,000 calorie diet
The Old Food
Pyramid
The Food Pyramid
Steps to a healthier you
Grains
Vegetables
Fruit
Milk
Meat and Beans
What’s on the pyramid

5 food groups
• Grains, Fruits, Vegetables, Milk and
Meat/beans
 Oils, fats, and sweets should be used
sparingly
 Physical activity impacts how much your
calorie intake needs to be.
New Pyramid
 One size doesn't fit all.
•MyPyramid offers personalized eating
plans, interactive tools to help you plan and
assess your food choices, and advice to
help you.
•Now personalized to YOU based upon
Age
Gender
Weight
Height
Physical activity
Examples
A 15 year old male, 5 feet 9 inches tall, 150 pounds, physically
active less than 30 minutes a day.)


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Grains - 9 ounces
Vegetables - 3.5 cups
Fruits 2 cups
Milk - 3 cups
Meat/Beans - 6.5 ounces
A 15 year old female, 5 feet 4 inches tall, 120 pounds,
physically active less than 30 minutes a day.

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Grains - 6 ounces
Vegetables - 2.5 cups
Fruits – 1.5 cups
Milk - 3 cups
Meat/Beans - 5 ounces
http://www.mypyramid.gov/mypyramid/index.aspx
*** Complete a personalized plan for yourself, print and turn in for extra credit on
quiz!
Grains
Make half of your grains whole
 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
• Whole grain bread
• oatmeal
• brown rice
Refined grains
• Are milled, a process that removes the bran and germ.
• Done to give grains a finer texture and improve shelf life
• But it also removes dietary fiber, iron, and many B vitamins.
• Ex: white bread, white rice
• Most refined grains are enriched. This means certain
B vitamins and iron are added back.
• Fiber is not added back in
http://www.mypyramid.gov/pyramid/grains.html
Vegetables
Vary your veggies
 Any vegetable or 100% vegetable juice.
 Raw or cooked; fresh, frozen, canned, or
dried/dehydrated
Vegetables are organized into 5 subgroups, based on their
nutrient content.

Dark green vegetables: spinach, broccoli, dark green leafy lettuce

Orange vegetables: carrots, pumpkin, sweet potatoes

Dry beans and peas: black beans, black-eyed peas, kidney beans, soy
beans

Starchy vegetables: corn, green peas, lima beans, potatoes

Other vegetables: beets, brussels sprouts, cabbage, celery, cucumbers
http://www.mypyramid.gov/pyramid/vegetables.html#
Fruits
Focus on fruits
 Any fruit or 100% fruit juice
 Fresh, canned, frozen, or dried
Some commonly eaten fruits are:
• Oranges, apples, bananas, berries, grapes
http://www.mypyramid.gov/pyramid/fruits.html
Oils
Know your fats
 Oils - Fats that are liquid at room temperature, like the
vegetable oils used in cooking, come from many
different plants and from fish.
• Ex: canola oil, olive oil, soybean oil, sunflower oil
 Solid fats are fats that are solid at room temperature
and come from many animal foods.
• They also are the worst because they contain more
saturated fats and/or trans fat.
• Ex: butter, chicken fat, pork fat (lard), stick
margarine
 A number of foods are naturally high in oils, like: nuts,
olives, and some fish
• Most Americans consume enough oil in the foods
they eat.
 Limit the intake of oils/fat as much as possible
Milk
Get your calcium rich foods
 All fluid milk products
 Foods made from milk that retain their calcium content
are part of the group,
• If they have little to no calcium, such as cream
cheese, cream, and butter, they are not.
 Most milk group choices should be fat-free or low-fat.
 Examples
• All fluid milk, puddings made with milk,
yogurt, ice cream, hard natural
cheeses, cheddar, mozzarella, swiss
frozen
http://www.mypyramid.gov/pyramid/milk.html
Meat and Bean
Go lean on protein
 Meat, poultry, fish, and dry beans or peas, eggs,
nuts, and seeds
 Dry beans and peas are part of this group as well
as the vegetable group.
 Most meat and poultry choices should be lean or
low-fat.
 Fish, nuts, and seeds contain healthy oils
http://www.mypyramid.gov/pyramid/meat.html
Influence on Diet
 Diet influenced by:
• cultural background
• socioeconomic status
• time
 Usually make choices from familiar foods
served at home
American Diet

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Fatty foods – hamburgers and french fries
Sugars – sweets, milkshakes, soft drinks
Sodium – potato chips
Avoid: Fast Food and “Junk food”
• Junk food - A high-calorie food that is low in nutritional
value.

Moderation is the key when dealing with unhealthy things
• Within reasonable limits

One serving size is usually smaller than what you think

1 gram of fat = about 9 calories
Snacking – good or bad?
 Not all snacking is bad
 Some eat small amounts of food through the day, instead of big
meals
 Needs to be healthy snacking
 Dangers with snacking
• Adds extra calories to diet
• Non-nutritious foods
• Late at night
http://www.mypyramid.gov/pyramid/discretionary_calories.html
Food Additives
 Substances intentionally added to food
either directly or indirectly
• Maintain or improve nutritional quality
• Maintain quality and freshness
• Aid in the processing or preparation of
food
• To make food more appealing and
tasteful
The Nutrition Food Label

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Serving Sizes
Calories from Fat
% Daily Value, 2,000 calorie diet
Fat
Cholesterol
Sodium
Carbohydrates
Protein
 Vitamins and Minerals
 http://www.fda.gov/Food/Lab
elingNutrition/ConsumerInform
ation/ucm078889.htm#twopart
s
What counts as a one
serving?

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
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1 slice of bread
½ cup cooked cereal, rice, pasta
1 medium whole fruit
¾ cup of juice
½ cup of cooked vegetables
3 ounces cooked meat (size of a deck of
cards)
Find your balance between food
and physical activity
(Left off notes, need to add into yours please!)
 ● Be sure to stay within your daily calorie needs.
 ● Be physically active for at least 30 minutes most days
of the week.
 ● About 60 minutes a day may be needed to prevent
weight gain.
 ● For sustaining weight loss, at least 60 to 90 minutes a
day may be required.
 ● Children and teenagers should be physically active for
60 minutes every day, or most days.
http://www.mypyramid.gov/pyramid/calories_used.html#
Determining your Calorie Needs
Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)

The rate at which your body burns food and nutrients to perform normal, minimal bodily
functions at rest.
Females = 1,200 calories per day
Males = 1,500 calories per day

Sedentary Person - very little activity - add 200-300 calories per day

Average Person - moderate activity - add about 1,000 calories per
day

Extremely active person - add from 1,800 to 3,800 calories per day
Nutrition Fallacies
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Consuming extra protein will lead to greater or faster strength
development.
• Excess protein in diet is stored in the form of fat .
Taking vitamin supplements will give you more energy.
• Vitamins assist body in using nutrients to provide you with energy,
excess does nothing
Take salt tablets if you perspire a lot.
• Your normal diet supplies you with enough, and the body learns to
conserve salt so you do not lose to much in your sweat.
Drink a sports drink after exercise.
• Only small amounts of minerals are loss in sweat and can be replaced
with food.
• meant for endurance sports
Drink caffeine to improve athletic performance.
• Does stimulate central nervous system and tends to increase
alertness