Printable Food Pyramid

Healthy food habit helps you to stay healthier for long. According to American Heart Association, it is better to eat an array of food from all the basis food groups daily. The U.S. Department of Agriculture revised the old food pyramid on April 19, 2005 due to the increased obesity rate. The revised one is known as MyPyramid (new food pyramid) which help people to make sure that they are taking healthy food.

This new food pyramid helps people to select food items according to their specific calorie needs. A new category, regular exercise, is also added to the new pyramid. In the new food pyramid food groups are represented by six different colors and are arranged in a vertical manner.

Colors for each food groups follow:

Orange – grains
Green – vegetables
Red – fruits
Yellow – oils
Blue - milk products
Purple - meats and beans

It is recommended that food items from all food groups should be eaten on regular basis. The new food pyramid presented its suggestions in ‘cups’ and ‘ounces’. According to the new guidelines, it is recommended that an average person should take two cups of fruit, three ounces of whole-grain products and two-and-a-half cups of vegetables daily. It also recommends avoiding the use of oils as much as you can.

Printable Food Pyramid

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The new food pyramid helps you to have an idea about the foods that our body needs and the food that we have to take daily.

If you follow the new guidelines, you can stay healthy for long and maintain proper weight throughout your life time. The new food pyramid divides food in to five food groups’ fruits, bread and cereals, vegetables, dairy and proteins. The food guide suggested different portions of food for men, women and children. The new food pyramid also added certain foods that should be the part of your daily diet.

Some of them are

Whole grains: These supply essential carbohydrates for the body. Whole wheat bread, oatmeal and bran are exceptional sources. Whole grains are difficult to digest, so it is good for diabetic patients.
Plant Oils: Food guide pyramid recommends avoiding the use of oils. But plant oils such as olive, canola, soy, corn sunflower and peanut oils are good because they are good sources of healthy unsaturated fats.
Fish, Poultry and Eggs: These are the main source of protein.
Vitamin Supplements: The new food pyramid recommends taking dietary supplements to make sure that all the organs have what they need.

Why did the food guide change?

When compared to the old food pyramid guide, the new one is more detailed in terms of servings and age. The old food guide provides us a good idea the ingredients of a well-balanced diet, but it failed to mention the portions suitable for each one according to age. The old one only provided a general approach whereas the new one provides a more accurate idea about the servings according to the person's lifestyle, age, exercise and goal - to lose or to gain weight.

It is difficult to follow the old food guide for most of the people because there is no clear picture regarding the servings. Most of the people can follow the new guide easily. The food groups in the new food pyramid are represented by six different colors and the servings are also mentioned clearly.

Vegan Food Pyramid Considerations

The vegan food pyramid is very much similar to the food pyramid which consists of meat and dairy. A vegan diet mostly consists of whole grains. According to vegan food pyramid, carbohydrates are essential for the body so it is better to take more and more carbohydrate. It also recommends taking more and more fruits and vegetables. Experimental researches which are conducted recently supported the capabilities of vegetarian diets. Epidemiological studies conducted in several western countries proved that the risk for most chronic diseases is very less in vegetarians. The risk for chronic diseases is very high in people who consume higher levels of meat and animal fat.