Eating to Live!

The Food Pyramid

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In most cases it has been pretty easy, but other times it has been difficult. The easy part comes from planning ahead to have on hand the healthy foods required for a healthy diet. The difficult times were when unexpected things came up, including my husband’s trip to the hospital, and times when eating regularly just weren’t part of the day.

All in all, the outcome has been successful, even with all of the obstacles that seemed to pop up when I was least expecting. But in order to give a perspective of the process, here is a recap of the pyramid program and what it entails.

The USDA revamped their suggestions from the four food groups those in my age group grew up with into a pyramid that lists what consists of a healthy diet. By diet, I don’t mean a weight reducing program, but a daily routine of healthy eating for the average person. Persons on restricted diets or those with medical problems that affect their food intake should always listen to their doctor’s advice.

The guidelines can be found on the Web site, www.mypyramid.gov. By inputting your personal statistics, which include age, gender, height, weight and physical activity, you will get the recommendations personalized for you from that site.

The Web site also gives explanations of food recommendations and serving sizes, but will offer suggestions on recipes, daily menus and pretty much whatever else you need to understand the pyramid.

The food pyramid has been criticized for being difficult to understand, but if everyone would take the time to read the information on the site, it all becomes clear in a very short time.

With my understanding of the food pyramid program also came a better understanding of food choices and serving sizes. There is no need to keep a diary or log of everything we eat, as long as we get a good idea of what we should be eating and can determine the proper serving amounts. If keeping a log for a few weeks helps at first, by all means, do it. There is no counting of calories, group weigh-ins or meetings to attend. For myself, the pyramid plan suggests I have daily: six servings of grains, half of which should be whole grains; five ounces of meat or beans; two and a half cups of vegetables; three cups of fruit; three cups of dairy; and five teaspoons healthy oils.

Some of the serving sizes are negotiable. For example, one slice of bread constitutes an ounce and doesn’t have to be weighed, as does, one half cup of rice, oats, and other grains. Nuts are considered meat and oils, so that one-half ounce of walnuts I sprinkle on my morning oats figures out to be one half ounce meat and one and one-half teaspoon healthy oils. Butter and margarine are not healthy oils, but can be counted as part of discretionary calories, which differ from person to person. Your statistics will determine how many discretionary calories you get each day. So far I would have to say the program has worked for me, in spite of those days when things didn’t quite work out as planned. When I was invited to a party, I allowed myself to have cake. When pizza was ordered for a fun night with friends, I joined in as well.

Now that spring is here and the garden is beginning to produce lettuce, spinach and other cool weather vegetables, I am looking forward to a bountiful, and healthy summer.