5/30/10

The Nutrition Pyramid for Your Body


As we grow older so it is important that we provide our bodies with sufficient amounts of minerals, vitamins and nutrients. One of the best way of ensuring that this is done is by using the nutrition pyramid.
This is a food plan which provides you with a list of foods that are not only considered to be healthy, but will also provide your body with what it needs in order for it to function. Below we take a look at the levels that make up the pyramid and the foods which come into each of these.
Pyramid Base - This is made up of foods such as cereal, grain, pasta and bread which contain complex carbohydrates in them. These are essential part of any diet as they will help to provide your body with energy that it needs to function on a day to day basis. These are even more essential for those people whose diets are very low in fat as they will help to protect the body as well. On average a person should be aiming to have between 6 and 11 servings of these each day.
Level 1 - This part of the pyramid is made up of fruit and vegetables and a person should be aiming to have between 3 and 5 servings of these particular foods each day. These foods are particular good as they contain essential vitamins such as A, C and D all of which are vital for our bodies to remain in good condition. A serving of these can be made up either of 1/2 cup of raw or cooked vegetables or an apple, banana or orange.
Level 2 - In this section of the pyramid this is where you will find the meat, dairy products, fish, beans and eggs. Where as with the first two levels you daily intake is quite high with this part of the pyramid it is recommended that you have only between 2 or 3 servings of these in a day. The meat that you eat should be lean and for all these foods you should aim to make up a serving of around 2 ounces of what ever one it is you have chosen to eat.
Level 3 - This part of the pyramid is made up of those foods which you not include within your diet very often. The main foods included within this group are fats, oils and those which are sweet. The only thing you are likely to be get from these is additional calories which your body will then have to burn off. When cooking try to avoid using any kind of fat including margarine or butter and cut back on the number of sodas that you drink. However, you don't need to cut out these foods completely.
The reason why one should not cut out fat foods from their diet is that they actually protect the organs in the body by providing them with padding. Also these foods are essential at helping your skin and nails to remain healthy. The best kinds of oils to include within your diet if you need to use them are olive and canola ones.
If you keep in mind the recommendations made by the nutrition pyramid then you will find that your body will remain fit and healthy as you grow older. You may well discover that by incorporating this into your dietary requirements you will see some improvements in your energy levels and the way your body looks.

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