Food Pyramid Diet Overview
The food pyramid diet is a diet which is very easy to understand. It is a very simple way to watch your calorie intake. This was created by the United States Department of Agriculture. This diet shows how much of a type of food you should eat in a pyramid. The higher you go in the pyramid you are supposed to eat smaller and smaller amount of those foods. The amount of a particular food category you can eat is determined by the area it occupies.
What to Do
To lose weight your daily calorie intake must be less than your daily calorie expenditure. If you are fit and healthy then your daily calorie intake should be the same as your daily calorie expenditure. If you are under-weight then your daily calorie intake should be more than your daily calorie expenditure.
You can make your daily calorie intake less than your expenditure in a number of ways. You can either reduce your calorie intake by eating less and keep your expenditure the same, or you can increase your calorie expenditure by exercising. The best option is to both exercise, there by increasing your daily calorie expenditure and diet to reduce your daily calorie intake. This moderate path is a lot easier to follow than doing just one.
The Categories
Grains
Cereals, pastas, breads, rice and crackers all fall under the category of grains. Grains supply energy form the stored starch and are also a good source of proteins. Whole grains have essential fatty acids, dietary fiber and other nutrients. The largest area of the pyramid is covered by grains.
Vegetables
The next level in the pyramid is vegetables. They are a good source of vitamins and minerals. The fat and calorie content in vegetables is very low.
Fruits
Vegetables are followed by fruits. They have a low calorie and fat content. Fruits are a source of fiber, natural sugars and vitamins.
Oils
The next level is of oils. This group has a very low area in the pyramid which means that these foods should be avoided. This is followed by dairy products in one group and fish, poultry, meat, dry beans, nuts and eggs. The meats occupy the highest position in the pyramid.
The food pyramid diet consists of these different categories. It is shown in a pictographic manner to make it easily understandable by all. This is a relatively new diet even thought there are a few drawbacks the food pyramid diet is very effective.
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