Food Pyramid , Eating Healthy, Lifestyle !!!

💞 Hi All...

in this article you'll learn everything about 

THE FOOD PYRAMID 

so what exactly is the food pyramid well 

it's a simple guide to the types and proportions of food that we should eat every day for good health food that
contains the same type of nutrients are grouped together on each of the shelves of the food pyramid this gives you a choice of different foods from which to choose a healthy diet using a food pyramid is a tool to follow different dietary guidelines and is a good start in the right direction it will help you to get the right balance of nutritious food within your calorie range now we'll further elaborate on the different layers of the food pyramid there are three layers of the food pyramid

which include

• One the foundation layer
• Two the middle layer
  
• And three the top layer

now let's have a look at

THE FOUNDATION LAYER

the foundation layer includes the three plants based food groups which are fruits grains, vegetables and legumes. this layer makes up the largest portion of the pyramid at around 70% of what we should eat plant foods should make up the largest portion of our diet plant food contains a wide variety of nutrients like vitamins, minerals and antioxidants they're also the main source of carbohydrates and fiber in our diet a significant convergence of evidence suggests that plants based diets can help prevent and even reverse some of the top killer diseases in the Western world and can be more effective than medication and surgery older,children,teens and adults should aim to have at least two servings of fruit and five servings of vegetables or legumes each day

from the grains food group we should choose mostly whole grains like oats and brown rice and whole meal whole grain high cereal fiber varieties of bread crisp breads pasta and cereal foods or over highly processed refined varieties now we move on to

THE MIDDLE LAYER

This layer includes yogurt cheese milk and alternatives and the lean meat fish eggs and legumes food groups food in the milk yogurt cheese and alternatives group primarily provides us with calcium and protein plus other vitamins and minerals this food group also refers to non-dairy options like soy rice or cereal milks which have at least 100 milligrams per 100 milliliters of added calcium choose reduced fat options of these foods to limit excess  kilojoules from saturated fat food in the lean meats,poultry,fish,eggs,nuts,seeds and legumes section are our main sources of protein this food group is rich in protein and is also a good source of other nutrients like iodine,iron,zinc and vitamins especially some B group vitamins the animal food in this group also contains vitamin b12 and some of them contain omega-3 fatty acids now we'll look at

THE TOP LAYER 

this layer refers to healthy fats that we need small amounts of every day to support heart health and brain function the top level of the food pyramid consists of your non-essentials foods like fats, oil and sweet this is the only level of the pyramid that should be restricted there are no serving guidelines for this level and you should generally try to avoid foods that are high in fat or sugar you should choose food that contains healthy fats instead of food that contains saturated fats and trans fat choose unrefined polyunsaturated and mono saturated fats from plant sources like extra virgin olive oil,nuts and seed oils limit the amount of saturated fat that you consume and avoid trans fat we also get healthy fats from food in other food groups such as seeds,avocados,fish and nuts . we need these healthy fats to support our health and brain function, healthy eating guidelines the shape of the food pyramid immediately suggests that some foods are good and some should be eaten more often but also that others aren't so good and should only be eaten occasionally the layers represent major food groups that contribute to the total diet but how do you link them together

• 1 choose water 
  
• 2 increase herbs and spices 
  
• 3 limit your salt and added sugar 
• 4 limit sodium 
• 5 limit added sugar

WATER 

water is one of the most essential elements to health a mere 2% drop in our body's water supply can trigger signs of dehydration a healthy sedentary adult living in a temperate climate should drink at least one and a half liters of water per day this level of water intake balances water loss and helps in keeping the body properly hydrated the water you consume through food and drinks follows a very precise route to arrive in your cells of which it is a vital constituent therefore choose water is your main drink and avoid sugary options like soft drinks sports drinks and energy drinks.

INCREASE HERBS AND SPICES

the use of herbs and spices has been incredibly important throughout history many were celebrated for their medicinal properties y before culinary use if you're looking to round out your healthy lifestyle you'll want to stock up on the following herbs and spices and use them generously in your cooking or use them on their own to enhance the absorption and benefits received some of the best examples are arrowroot, cinnamon, turmeric, basil, mint, cayenne ,dill weed and seed and curry powder limit salt and added sugar the food pyramid reminds us to

LIMIT OUR INTAKE OF SALT AND ADDED SUGAR

this means avoiding adding salt or sugar to food when we're cooking or eating and avoiding packaged foods and drinks that have salt or added sugar in the ingredients some suggestions that can help you reduce your salt and sugar dependency include eating more home cooked meals choosing frozen  over canned or delaying in salting even reducing these by small amounts can make us healthier.