The Food Pyramid.

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yankeefamily05
yankeefamily05 Posts: 657
in Health and Weight Loss
Its so funny how many times I have seen a food pyramid. I remember numerous times seeing it in school. I got reintroduced to the food pyramid during pregnancy, than again while breastfeeding. I think I need to print it out and put it on my fridge.Good idea eh?...I wonder how well I could follow this!!!!!!

http://www.the-food-guide-pyramid.com/image-files/food_guide_pyramid_small.jpg

I would imagine it would be kind of hard because I don't really eat fish unless it is caught by my husband ( bass, catfish) OR Shrimp. I suppose I could supplement it with seeds and nuts ( love almonds:happy: )!!! But I could see how it would be kind of expensive to eat this well!!!! Fruits and veggies are through the roof here......

Anyone have any insight on this? Anyone follow the pyramid?

Replies

  • sarah44254
    sarah44254 Posts: 3,078 Member
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    I used to use the pyramid as a guide... but now. Wow, that is a LOT of bread products. I don't eat that much bread!

    It was really tough for me to remember what is a 'serving' of what area of the pyramid, and typing it in here was the end of it for me. Taking it a further step and comparing it to the pyramid to see what else I should be eating for the day, and whether or not it will fit in my remaining calories, is a step further: and one I haven't taken yet.
  • CrimsonWife
    CrimsonWife Posts: 56
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    I used to use the pyramid as a guide... but now. Wow, that is a LOT of bread products. I don't eat that much bread!

    The USDA's food pyramid is not based on sound nutritional principles but rather on lobbying by special interest groups.

    You should follow a healthier food pyramid like one of the following:

    Generic low-carb http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/whattoeat/ig/Low-Carb-Food-Pyramid/lowcarbpyramid1-IG.htm
    South Beach http://www.ehow.com/about_5376994_south-beach-diet-food-pyramid.html
    Paleo http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xNP1r72eNAY/TZj4sachcJI/AAAAAAAABUE/uohbShsRG7g/s1600/primal-pyramid.jpg
  • olyrose
    olyrose Posts: 569 Member
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    I did follow it for a couple months as a project for my college class. I am a vegetarian, so I did have to replace a few things. And I opted for the smaller recommendations for some groups and the larger recommendations for others. I found that just by following the recommended servings (group and portions) it put me at about 1,500 calories for the day. I did lose weight consistently on it too.

    It also really made me think about the food I was eating. If I couldn't figure out what group it went in, then I didn't eat it. So I ate a lot more fresh, homemade food during that time.

    Here is a tracker. I use it sometimes just to make sure I'm understanding the portions I eat. The database isn't the best, but it's still a useful tool.
    http://www.mypyramidtracker.gov
  • robertf57
    robertf57 Posts: 560 Member
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    As noted above, the USDA food pyramid is purely a political/lobbying instrument. It was not based on scientific study or empirical data (did you ever wonder why it came from the agriculture department?) and in fact when proposed by the then Ag Secretary was rejected by the scientific group. I would not base my dieting plan on a marketing tool.
  • margielewis
    margielewis Posts: 52 Member
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    Michi's ladder might interest you - found in on Newfiedan's blog - It's located at http://teambeachbody.com/eat-smart/michis-ladder
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,239 Member
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    I would have to agree that the food pyramid is highly questionable for nutritional soundness. I have become more and more aware of that as I look into things more and more. I had run into a bunch of things that started to make me question it, then I watched the movie Fat Heads, and it made me realize I have to do a lot more research since at the moment nutritional directive from the governments of the developed world are highly questionable.
  • zer0vital
    zer0vital Posts: 42
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    I learned everything I now know about the food pyramid from Eat, Drink, & Be Healthy: The Harvard Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating. The first thing the author does in the first chapter is slam the USDA's food pyramid. As others have stated, it is essentially the aggregate of propositions and requests made by the food and agriculture industries. Three servings of milk or dairy products a day? It's ok if half your carbs come from refined, processed sources? Those people do not have your best interest at heart.

    I recommend the book I mentioned. I have also read the Harvard Medical School Guide to Men's Health and I find it is written in a similar way, effectively bringing scientific literature to you in a way that is easy to understand.
  • fitterpam
    fitterpam Posts: 3,086 Member
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    My bariatric doctor (when I was seeing him) also slammed the food guide (Canada`s version of the food pyramid). If you eat the pyramid, you`ll look like a pyramid was his point of view. LOL

    I think that the principle is sound. Get a wide variety of whole foods daily and avoid the more processed items and higher calorie items. I like the new version in Canada focuses on also getting a wide variety of colours (so lots of fruits and veggies). I don`t like that they call corn a vegetable (it`s recognized by the body as a starch) and I do agree that they focus too heavily on grains for most people`s diets - I think that was primarily to promote high fibre intake (and because most grains are processed, they are fortified with other things).

    As for ways to get your F&V at a lower cost, I would look at frozen. They are just as nutritious as fresh, if not more (flash frozen for the most part when they have the most nutrition vs. out of season produce that has to travel long distances to get to your home). Farmers markets are also great as are CSAs. With a CSA you basically buy a share in a farm and so you get the seasonal produce at a reduced rate. Buy on sale and process for freezing/processing yourself - I get organic peaches for 50 a pound in season. I prepare enough filling to make about 10 pies and freeze it, I also get enough to make some sugar free jam and can some in very light syrup for later. Lastly, have you tried growing some of your own veggies? I know I just got a package of radish seeds for 33 cents and it will give me enough radishes to go until November. Celery? I bought 4 plants for $1 and they'll be ready to go in about 5 weeks. I think you get the pic :)

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