The new MyPyramid dietary guide which was published in 2005 by the United States Department of Agriculture is a vastly improved version of the old Food Guide Pyramid which was issued in 1992. It has been redesigned to be more versatile and it emphasizes the importance of physical activity along with a balanced diet, which makes it ideal for healthy weight loss.
Food Guide Pyramid
The old food guide pyramid had been widely criticized for its flaws. It placed different food groups at different levels according to their importance. However this lead to people completely avoiding fatty foods which sat at the top of the pyramid, consume excess of foods like bread which contains refined grains, which sat at the bottom of the pyramid. Overdoing of both of which were unhealthy signs.
MyPyramid
The new food pyramid, however, has been constructed, keeping in mind a balanced diet and it recommends healthy choices for amounts of food from all the categories viz. grains, vegetables, fruits, oils, milk and meat. Also, this time round, the food pyramid emphasizes the importance of including more of whole grains along with refined grains which are essential for healthy weight loss.
As such, the food pyramid can be used to construct a nutritional plan according to your needs. Here is how the food pyramid breaks down food intake.
At least 5 servings of dark green and orange vegetables.
At least 5 servings of fresh and frozen fruits a day.
6-11 servings of grains a day, especially whole grains.
At least 8 glass of water a day.
About 2-3 servings of meat, fish, eggs, nuts etc.
2-3 servings of milk or low fat milk substitutes.
A healthy weight loss plan will depend on your lifestyle and the amount of physical activity you do.
If you are physically very active, you’ll need to consume more food in order to provide the fuel for burning and production of energy.
Similarly, if you are more of a sedentary worker, you will need to reduce your food intake so as to maintain an ideal weight. Even the potions which you serve has to be proportionate to the physical activities which you do.
As we have seen, the food pyramid can serve as a very resourceful guide for healthy life if used appropriately. It is useful for making all those healthy choices that lead to health and wellness.
The recommendations of MyPyramid are designed to help you cut down on your calorie intake while increasing the amount of nutrients in your body, which is the principle mechanism behind health and body weight.
It is very important for you be patient with your weight loss plans. It just does not happen overnight or within a few weeks. Losing just 1 to 2 pounds a week is considered as a healthy weight loss. You will need to be patient, make healthy choices and stay motivated with your plans all the time. You will eventually start noticing the difference.