Food Triangle from school days..

Reaverie

Do I have too...
On the bottom is grains. I HATE grains. I hate noodles.. breads.. rice.. The only thing I can stand is oatmeal and rye. Rest tastes terrible and always has. I grew up hating it.

If I were to re-arrange it to what I like, it would be Vegetables on the bottom, then meat, then fruit, dairy, grains, then sugars and fats.

Ready2Rock206

I don't think they even use the food triangle anymore - or at least the one from when I was a kid. There's no rule you need to eat food you don't like. Sounds like you have a good plan in place.

kami3006

this is the newest one I believe:

lemurcat12

They don't use the pyramid any more, and the grains thing was major overkill. Obviously no harm in eating more veg, fewer grains, unless your calories end up too low.

I like this site: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/

nvmomketo

LOL I eat an upide down version of the pyramid. Fats with animal products on the bottom, Then veggies and fruit. Tiny point on top for sugar and grains.

snickerscharlie

Reaverie wrote: »

Do I have too...
On the bottom is grains. I HATE grains. I hate noodles.. breads.. rice.. The only thing I can stand is oatmeal and rye. Rest tastes terrible and always has. I grew up hating it.

If I were to re-arrange it to what I like, it would be Vegetables on the bottom, then meat, then fruit, dairy, grains, then sugars and fats.

You're an adult now. Eat what you want. As long as you remain within your caloric goals and are meeting your macros, it doesn't much matter.

AlabasterVerve

It sounds like you would do better with the old "basic 7" food guide. Follow this one instead.

Sabine_Stroehm

Yup. Agreed. It's a good starting point for a healthy diet. Then adjust as needed.
If you need more guidance, something like the Dash Diet for Weight loss is a good primer. The original South Beach Diet too, if you don't get hung up on the words "good" and "bad".
Eat as few grains as you'd like.
But yes, my plate is a good starting point for eating well.

lemurcat12 wrote: »

They don't use the pyramid any more, and the grains thing was major overkill. Obviously no harm in eating more veg, fewer grains, unless your calories end up too low.

I like this site: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/

Elise4270

When I was a kid it was "have a 3,2,4,4 day" I'm not sure which order that was.... It was servings of grains, meat, veggies and fruit. Probably in that order...

Anyone else that old? Haha!

ETA its dairy, meat, fruit/veggies, grains.

Machka9

There was never a "food triangle" in my school!

We had something more like this:
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/food-guide-aliment/index-eng.php

Frenchgrad

Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »

I agree with this chart, and I've seen it before. But I do have to ask: why does it say to limit milk? Is it the fat? I drink 1 or 2 8 oz. glasses of skim milk a day and I've lost nearly 50 pounds. Course, it also says to limit cheese. Is there something wrong with dairy? It would take a thousand packs of wild dogs to get me to stop eating cheese!

unsuspectingfish

Frenchgrad wrote: »

Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »

I agree with this chart, and I've seen it before. But I do have to ask: why does it say to limit milk? Is it the fat? I drink 1 or 2 8 oz. glasses of skim milk a day and I've lost nearly 50 pounds. Course, it also says to limit cheese. Is there something wrong with dairy? It would take a thousand packs of wild dogs to get me to stop eating cheese!

Probably the fat and the sugar for milk, and the fat for cheese, but dairy also has a lot of benefits, as long as you're not eating JUST dairy and not going over your calories with it. If you're lactose intolerant, though, that's a different story.

lemurcat12

Frenchgrad wrote: »

I agree with this chart, and I've seen it before. But I do have to ask: why does it say to limit milk? Is it the fat? I drink 1 or 2 8 oz. glasses of skim milk a day and I've lost nearly 50 pounds. Course, it also says to limit cheese. Is there something wrong with dairy? It would take a thousand packs of wild dogs to get me to stop eating cheese!

Limit does not mean eat none. (Too many people on MFP seem to interpret limit as meaning "a diet is healthier not including it at all" and I don't think that's at all the case. It would be tough to get enough calories if one cut out everything that should probably be limited -- or eaten in the context of a balanced diet with enough of everything.)

I limit added sugar (well, really, high cal sugary sweets that also have lots of fat, which is my only significant source), sat fat, dairy (well, I am not really tempted to eat more than a moderate amount except with cheese and that's covered by sat fat), and meat, but I don't actually THINK about these things at all, as they just come when I eat a balanced diet and include all the foods I should. Thinking about all this to the detail is a good way to drive yourself mad. ;-)

Anyway, here's the brief explanation on dairy:

"Calcium is important. But milk isn’t the only, or even best, source.

It’s not a news flash that calcium is key for healthy bones. Getting enough calcium from childhood through adulthood helps build bones up and then helps slow the loss of bone as we age. It’s not clear, though, that we need as much calcium as is generally recommended, and it’s also not clear that dairy products are really the best source of calcium for most people.

While calcium and dairy can lower the risk of osteoporosis and colon cancer, high intake can increase the risk of prostate cancer and possibly ovarian cancer.

Plus, dairy products can be high in saturated fat as well as retinol (vitamin A), which at high levels can paradoxically weaken bones.

Good, non-dairy sources of calcium include collards, bok choy, fortified soy milk, baked beans, and supplements that contain both calcium and vitamin D (a better choice than taking calcium alone)."


Also: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/calcium-full-story/

Frenchgrad

Thank you both for your replies. Good points, that limit doesn't mean eliminate and as long as my diet is varied (and it is), dairy is OK.

nvmomketo

unsuspectingfish wrote: »

Frenchgrad wrote: »

Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »

I agree with this chart, and I've seen it before. But I do have to ask: why does it say to limit milk? Is it the fat? I drink 1 or 2 8 oz. glasses of skim milk a day and I've lost nearly 50 pounds. Course, it also says to limit cheese. Is there something wrong with dairy? It would take a thousand packs of wild dogs to get me to stop eating cheese!

Probably the fat and the sugar for milk, and the fat for cheese, but dairy also has a lot of benefits, as long as you're not eating JUST dairy and not going over your calories with it. If you're lactose intolerant, though, that's a different story.

It's the evil saturated fat. One of those health myths that just won't go away.