Customizable food pyramid?

pland54

I know there is the classic food pyramid, which gives the amount (in servings) that a person should eat of the various food groups each day. I guess these are guidelines for a healthy person with no dietary restrictions who eats 2,000 calories a day. Does anyone know of a more nuanced version of this that takes into account popular diets, and other calorie intakes?

For example, I am a lean woman who wants to maintain my weight. My goal daily calorie intake is about 1,700. I also have PCOS (an endocrine condition related to hormones/insulin). Therefore, an ideal diet for me is low-glycemic. So, my food pyramid might have a bit lower quantities, particularly in carbohydrates.

Does anyone know if customizable food pyramids like this exist, and if so, where?

pland54

Turns out it's easy to tailor the food pyramid to your calorie intake using websites like this:

http://www.mypyramid.org/plan.php

However, I'm still struggling to find resources to tailor it to certain dietary restrictions. If anyone knows of any, please let me know!

Firefox7275

Not sure what you don't like about the official guidelines for dieters, there serving numbers are a range not an absolute, and there are different ranges for males and females so it's flexible. The pyramid is a simplification of far more complex and detailed guidelines used by healthcare professionals. Most western governments have guidance for special dietary requirements somewhere online. Why do you need a visual representation for PCOS, is it for school?

Do you know what an 'official' serving size of carbohydrates is? IIRC it's very small: stuff like a single slice of bread, so if you were recommended six to eleven servings of starches you could eat the equivalent of just six slices of bread a day and remain within the guidelines. If you drop below that you are going to have to start thinking carefully about your sources of minerals and fibre - you'd need to eat more beans, lentils, nuts and seeds.

Why do you think low glycaemic index means eating fewer carbs? That is low glycaemic load. The glycaemic index is a rating based on feeding study participants a fixed amount of carbs, the same for each foodstuff. To lower the GI of a meal you might drop wheat in favour of barley, and combine with protein and fat. That fits in fine with the pyramid and official guidelines generally.

Whilst I am far from the biggest fan of 'Dr' Weil, there is this alternative
http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/ART02995/Dr-Weil-Anti-Inflammatory-Food-Pyramid.html
You can also search Google Images for "low glycaemic food pyramid" and get many alternatives to the official one.

Tamicejl

Just to answer one part of your post..... It is very important to people with PCOS to identify it when it comes to dieting because our hormones are set to gain weight not lose. So when you see it stated that is why it is important to say.

Firefox7275

Just to answer one part of your post..... It is very important to people with PCOS to identify it when it comes to dieting because our hormones are set to gain weight not lose. So when you see it stated that is why it is important to say.

Was that aimed at me? If so I work in/ qualified in lifestyle healthcare, so know what PCOS is. Thanks tho.

pland54

Thanks for the input. It's not that I really need a 'visual' chart, I just want an easier, to the point guideline that I can reference. It can be difficult to put all the pieces together when I'm using several websites to make food choices based on the glycemic index, and then another for general guidelines that apply to everyone, and then scaling everything to be appropriate for someone my size.

PCOS is similar in dietary guidelines to diabetes, but the low glycemic index is usually strongly geared toward losing weight, which I don't want to do.

My dream solution to this problem would allow a person to put in their general physical information, as well as common conditions like diabetes, and get an easy to read guideline in actual amounts of food in each group that I can use as a reference. I never remember what a serving size actually is for anything except meat!

Does that make sense?

PapaverSomniferum

so, on the USDA food pyramid site:



MyPyramid Plan

tips

Make half your grains highly refined (or "processed"). Highly refined grains ease the digestion process by bypassing the pesky nutrient and fiber absorption step.

Individually packaged vegetable items from exotic places around the globe are cleaner, more convenient, and keep our friends in the petroleum and petrochemical industries chugging along.

While fruits may be eaten whole, buying canned, frozen or otherwise packaged fruit helps ensure the sterility of the fruit. Some fruits can be rather tart or tangy, so a smart way to make these more appealing to children is to select products with added sweetners.

Drink milk for healthy bones and teeth! Some "scientific studies" have claimed milk has no connection to healthy bone development. These studies, however, ignore the most obvious correlation - bones, teeth and milk are all white.

Liver and other organ meats are high in cholesterol. Just so you know. But who eats those creepy parts anyways, right?

eat processed carbs because they're easy to digest?

pre-packaged vegetables are good because they support the petrol industry?

milk is healthy because it's white--like teeth?

organ meats are "creepy" so don't eat them?

Firefox7275

Thanks for the input. It's not that I really need a 'visual' chart, I just want an easier, to the point guideline that I can reference. It can be difficult to put all the pieces together when I'm using several websites to make food choices based on the glycemic index, and then another for general guidelines that apply to everyone, and then scaling everything to be appropriate for someone my size.

PCOS is similar in dietary guidelines to diabetes, but the low glycemic index is usually strongly geared toward losing weight, which I don't want to do.

My dream solution to this problem would allow a person to put in their general physical information, as well as common conditions like diabetes, and get an easy to read guideline in actual amounts of food in each group that I can use as a reference. I never remember what a serving size actually is for anything except meat!

Does that make sense?

TBH I don't think it makes sense, I think you are overcomplicating matters given that you don't need to lose weight. Don't read so many sites, follow the basic number of servings and serving sizes but manipulate WHAT you eat - choose low sugar fruits, non starchy vegetables, choose beans, lentils and barley over processed wheat, rice and white potatoes. A reputable site guiding you on diet for PCOS or diabetes based on published research in nutrition and dietetics will not be flying in the face of the official guidelines and leaving you deficient anyway.

What do you mean by actual amounts, you want grams? If so get referred to a dietician, you can' only be told the specific grams for specific foods, there is not an identical amount of fat protein and calcium in parmesan as there is in cheddar. If you don't understand the serving sizes how would a tailored pyramid be helping? Maybe print out one of the visual representations of serving sizes or download an app onto your smartphone for it. If you want cups understand that system is unscientific, nutrients and calories are per gram not by volume, cups are nonsensical in the context of dietetics and nutrition.

You seem to have completely misunderstood the glycaemic index, it was NOT invented for losing weight, that is a commercial bastardisation of the research. It was invented simply to see what effect different carbohydrate sources have on the blood sugar after eating them, in healthcare it is a tool to help diabetics manage and stabilise their blood glucose - although many of us working in weight management do also use it as a tool to help people feel fuller for long and reduce cravings. If you are reading GI for weight loss sites you are reading commercial not medical stuff.