Familiar with this term?
Yes It's a Food Pyramid...Almost the same as the Egyptian Pyramids except this one is based on food. let's check these images.
Food pyramids can be variable according to countries and food sources. European countries for instance emphasises the usage of wheat while some Asian countries prefer rice, African countries to some extent prefer cassava while some population prefers yams or potatoes.
Ground Level (Which we should eat the most) - Carbohydrates-which consists of whole grain such as rice, wheat, maize, potatoes and many more. It is preferable that you eat them in its grainy form (whole grain) as this contains the most fibre compared to the processed (so-called) -white grain ones. Furthermore, whole grains contain more minerals and vitamins.
Carbohydrates also provide you with the most energy but it doesn't contain the most energy..so EAT A LOT of carbohydrates to keep you energized throughout the day. There are two types of simple and complex carbohydrates. FAO/WHO recommends that people consume between 45-70% of total energy intake from carbohydrates. But this also depends on the energy requirement and physical activity of the individuals, for instance, an athlete requires more of it than a sedentary individual who works in an office and does minimal exercise. Free sugars (glucose / fructose) also falls under carbohydrates but experts suggests that the intake of free sugars should be under 10% of total energy intake as it increases the risk of getting chronic metabolic diseases such as obesity and diabetes, and dental caries.
More information about Carbohydrate and its requirement will be discussed further in a different post.
Level 2- Vegetable this contributes to the most vitamin intake for our body, especially dark green leafy vegetables and orange/red vegetables..dark green vegetables contains the most nutrients for your body and orange/red contains beta carotene that is required for making vitamin A.
Furthermore vegetables contain cellulose substances that makes it fibrous and good for your digestion. There is no recommendation of how much vegetables should be taken as a percentage of daily calorie intake but some countries recommend individuals to eat 5 servings of fruits and vegetables daily.
Level 3 - Fruits, there are many to choose from and all are delicious, in case you don't like fruits, try to adjust and experiment yourself with a wide range of fruits. There are a myriad choice to choose from, from citrus to seasonal fruit, and maybe you can explore other fruits from other countries..all depends on your budget and you initiative.
Sometimes Level 3 is combined together with Level 2 (vegetables).
Level 4 - Protein: meat, poultry, fish, beans, nuts, milks, eggs, cheese, yogurt, dairy products should be consumed in moderation. Of course, meat, poultry are a good source of protein but as the saying goes too much of something is bad enough, Fish proteins are healthier to eat though, better still use plant-derived proteins which is found mostly in nuts, beans, grains and legumes such as soybeans, chickpeas and different types of beans. Generally, protein should make up about 12-20 percent of total calorie intake. More explanation proteins will be given in a separate post.
Top most level - Fats, oils and sweets. fats and oils because it contains a lot of lipid substances that is easily deposited on your skin, buttocks, belly, neck, blood vessel and the outer layer of your heart aka pericardium. You don't want those to be there anyway, don't you?. Fats contain the most energy per gram but it should be used carefully as it has been shown to cause chronic diseases. Total energy intake from fats should be around 30%, daily.
However, things are about to change in several countries and have changed in some. In Australia and Europe for example, the basic level is replaced by fruits and vegetables - emphasising the importance of limiting calorie intake from Carbohydrates. This may well be a challenge to some but could provide beneficial effects in the long run.
Also several countries have adopted healthy plate diagrams / pictures instead of a pyramid. The argument is that food proportion by using plates is easier to understand than food pyramids.
Examples are:, My Healthy plate of Singapore, My Healthy Plate of USA, Heathy Plate in Australia, Eatwell plate in the UK
So it would be interesting to see if food pyramids eventually will be replaced entirely by food plates. Other countries may choose to use the combination of food plates and food pyramids.
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