What is it?
The Food Guide Pyramid is an outline of what to eat each day based on the Dietary Guidelines . It's not a rigid prescription but a general guide that lets you choose a healthful diet that's right for you.
The Pyramid calls for eating a variety of foods to get the nutrients you need and at the same time the right amount of calories to maintain healthy weight.
Use the Pyramid to help you eat better every day...the Dietary Guidelines way. Start with plenty of breads, cereals, rice, pasta, vegetables, and fruits. Add 2-3 servings from the milk group and 2-3 servings from the meat group. Remember to go easy on fats, oils, and sweets, the foods in the small tip of the Pyramid.
What Counts as One Serving?
The amount of food that counts as one serving is listed below. If you eat a larger portion, count it as more thatn 1 serving. For example, a dinner portion of spaghetti would count as 2 or 3 servings of pasta.
Be sure to eat at least the lowest number of servings from the five major food groups listed below. You need them for the vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, and protein they provide. Just try to pick the lowest fat choices from the food groups. no specific serving size is given for the fats, oils, and sweets group because the message is USE SPARINGLY.
Fats, Oils, & Sweets
 Use Sparingly
Go easy on fats and sugars added to foods in cooking or at the table--butter, margarine, gravy, salad dressing, sugar, and jelly.
Choose fewer foods that are high in sugars--candy, sweet desserts, and soft drinks.
The most effective way to moderate the amount of fat and added sugars in your diet is to cut down on "extras" (foods in this group). Also choose lower fat and lower sugar foods from the other five food groups often.
If you want to be sure you have a lowfat diet, you can count the grams of fat in your day's food choices using the Pyramid Food Choices Chart, and compare them to the number of grams of fat suggested for you calorie level.
Some types of fat worse than others. Eating too much saturated fat raises blood cholesterol levels in many people, increasing their risk for heart disease. The Dietary Guidelines ecommend limiting saturated fat to less than 10 percent of calories, or about on-third of total fat intake.
All fats in foods are mixtures of three types of fatty acids - saturated,monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated.
Milk, Yogurt, & Cheese
 2-3 Servings
Milk products are important. Milk products provide protein, vitamins, and minerals. Milk, yogurt, and cheese are the best source of calcium. The Food Guide Pyramid suggests 2 to 3 servings of milk, yogurt, and cheese a day - 2 for most people, and 3 for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, teenagers, and young adults to age 24.
Choose skim milk and nonfat yogurt often. They are lowest in fat.
1 1/2 to 2 ounces of cheese and 8 ounces of yogurt count as a serving from this group because they supply the same amount of calcium as 1 cup of milk.
Choose "part skim" or lowfat cheeses when available and lower fat milk desserts, like ice milk or frozen yogurt. Read labels.
Here are some suggestions:
Choose skim milk and nonfat yogurt often. They are lowest in fat.
»1-1/2 to 2 ounces of cheese and 8 ounces of yogurt count as a serving from this group because they supply the same amount of calcium as 1 cup of milk.
»Cottage cheese is lower in calcium than most cheeses. One cup of cottage cheese counts as only 1/2 serving of milk.
»Go easy on high fat cheese and ice cream. They can add a lot of fat (especially saturated fat) to your diet.
»Choose "part skim" or lowfat cheeses when available and lower fat milk desserts, like ice milk or frozen yogurt.
Meat, Poultry, Fish
 2-3 Servings
Meat, poultry, and fish supply protein, B vitamins, iron, and zinc. The other foods in this group - dry beans, eggs, and nuts - are similar to meats in providing protein and most vitamins and minerals. The Food Guide Pyramid suggests 2 to 3 servings each day of foods from this group. The total amount of these servings should be the equivalent of 5 to 7 ounces of cooked lean meat, poultry, or fish per day. Choose lean meat, poultry without skin, fish, and dry beans and peas often. they are the choices lowest in fat.
Prepare meats in lowfat ways:
Trim away all the fat you can see.
Remove skin from poultry.
Broil, roast, or boil these foods instead of frying them.
Nuts and seeds are high in fat, so eat them in moderation.
Vegetables
3-5 Servings
Different types of vegetables provide different nutrients. Eat a variety.
Include dark-green leafy vegetables and legumes several times a week--they are especially good sources of vitamins and minerals. Legumes also provide protein and can be used in place of meat.
Go easy on the fat you add to vegetables at the table or during cooking. Added spreads or toppings, such as butter, mayonnaise, and salad dressing, count as fat. |
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Fruits
2-4 Servings
Choose fresh fruits, fruit juices, and frozen, canned, or dried fruit. Go easy on fruits canned or frozen in heavy syrups and sweetened fruit juices.
Eat whole fruits often--they are higher in fiber than fruit juices.
Count only 100 percent fruit juice as fruit. Punches, ades, and most fruit "drinks" contain only a little juice and lots of added sugars. |
Bread, Cereal, Rice, & Pasta Group
6-11 Servings
 These foods provide complex carbohydrates (starches), which are an important source of energy, especially in lowfat diets. They also provide vitamins, minerals, and fiber. The Food Guide Pyramid suggests 6 to 11 servings of these foods a day.To get the fiber you need, choose several servings a day of foods made from whole grains.
Choose most often foods that are made with little fat or sugars, like bread, english muffins, rice, and pasta.
Go easy on the fat and sugars you add as spreads, seasonings, or toppings.
When preparing pasta, stuffing, and sauce from packaged mixes, use only half the butter or margarine suggested; if milk or cream is called for, use lowfat milk.
Aren't starchy foods fattening?
No. It's what you add to these foods or cook with them that adds most of the calories. For example: margarine or butter on bread, cream or cheese sauces on pasta, and the sugar and fat used with the flour in making cookies.
*Material on this web page courtesy of the USDA's Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion
URL: http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cic_text/food/food-pyramid/main.htm
URL: http://www.nal.usda.gov:8001/py/pmap.htm
For more information For More Information
Contact USDA's Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion.
The address is:
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion
1120 20th St., NW
Suite 200, North Lobby
Washington, DC 20036-3475 |
