The Food Pyramid
The food pyramid is a diet plan that was devised in 1992 by the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) to replace an earlier classification system of grouping foods. Also known as the nutrition pyramid, the food pyramid follows a dietary guideline of having the most of your daily meals consisting of foods from the grains and cereals group, followed by smaller amounts of fruits and vegetables, and then meat and dairy products, with oils and fats being the least amount of foods you should consume.
Grains and cereals group
The grains and cereals group include bread, cakes, buns, oatmeal, rice, wheat, pasta, and biscuits or crackers. Grains have always been an important food source for humans for thousands of years. They supply energy in the form of complex carbohydrates, and also contain much protein, vitamins (especially the B vitamin group), and minerals.
Vegetable group
Vegetables form the next most important food group after grains. Although as children we might have hated to eat vegetables, your grandma was always right about vegetables. Spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, carrots, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, tomatoes, and so forth, vegetables contain many enzymes, phytochemicals, vitamins, minerals and trace elements that our bodies need. Vegetarianism is the practice of eating almost wholly vegetables and fruits, and avoiding meat.
Fruit group
Fruits are some of the most prized foods of the earth. They are able to quench our thirst and fill our bellies. All fruits contain lots of moisture, ranging from 70% for bananas to 93% for watermelons. Fruits provide sugar (mainly fructose), much soluble and insoluble fiber, enzymes, fruit acids, vitamins (especially vitamin C), minerals, phytochemicals and trace elements required by our bodies. Grapes, oranges, apples, papaya, watermelons, bananas, mangos, and pears are some of the most popular fruits that should be a major part of any diet.
Meat, poultry, beans and nuts group
Previously separate, meat, poultry, beans and nuts have now been grouped together in the food pyramid. They all have one major thing in common, their high protein content, which is either complete, or near complete, protein. Eggs are one of the best in this regard. Meats are also a major source of iron, zinc, calcium, fatty acids, and vitamin B12. Beans and nuts are often eaten as meat alternatives in the case of vegetarians, but they may need to supplement vitamin B12 from other sources, as it is only mainly found in meats.
Dairy group
Milk, cheese, and yoghurt form the dairy food group, and are a major source of the minerals calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus. In fact, it is somewhat difficult to obtain sufficient dietary calcium if you are going on a dairy-free diet, hence their relative importance in daily diet. They also have much protein, some growth factors (in the case of colostrum), and vitamins A and D. Some people have lactose (milk sugar) intolerance, and for them, soybean milk is often used as an alternative.
Oils and fats group
This food group is the smallest and for good reason – fats should only be eaten in moderation. Cooking oils, fish oil, cream, butter, and margarines are all part of this group. While being implicated in heart disease, fats are still an essential part of any balanced diet. for The USDA does not technically recognize fats and oils as a separate food group, but they still occupy a spot on the food pyramid, because of their significance in the proper functioning and development of the human body.
