New Food Pyramid

You may know the government created "Food Pyramid." Recently it revised the Food Pyramid. Both are similar, but the new one is more specific and more clearly represents the new food guidelines. In addition, the coolest thing is you can make your own pyramid plan which includes calorie calculation and food selection in each subgroups. It also has special guidelines for children and pregnant women. The changes in the new food pyramid include colored vertical stripes compared to the old one as shown below. Each stripes represents one of six food groups.

1. Grains (orange) - the widest stripe

2. Vegetables (green)

3. Fruits (red)

4. Oils (yellow) - the thinnest stripe

5. Milk (blue) - including most foods made from milk

6. Meat and beans (purple)

The food pyramid's stripes are wider at the bottom and narrower at the top. This means that not all foods within that group are of the same value. I will explain about them above.

1. Grains are divided into two subgroups, whole grains and refined grains. Eating more whole grains makes you healthier. Whole grains contain the entire grain kernel (bran, germ, and endosperm) as shown in the picture. Bran is "Outer shell" which protects seed and contains fiber, B vitamins, and trace minerals. Germ is "Nourishment for the seed which contains antioxidants, vitamin E, and B vitamins. Endosperm provides energy and contains carbohydrates and protein. For examples, they are whole-wheat flour , sorghum, quinoa, millet, triticale, buckwheat, wild rice, wholegrain barley, whole rye, popcorn, bulgur (cracked wheat), whole oats/oatmeal, whole cornmeal, and brown rice. Refined grains were milled and the bran and germ was removed. The examples are white flour, degermed cornmeal, white bread, and white rice. However, certain B vitamins and iron are added back to most refined grains after processing. Eat at least 3 ounces of whole grain bread, cereal, crackers, rice, or pasta every day. Look for "whole" before the grain name on the list of ingredients. Terms like "multigrain", "100% wheat", "cracked wheat", "organic", "pumpernickel", "bran", and "stone ground" may sound healthy, but none actually indicates the product is "whole grain."

2. Vegetables are organized into 5 subgroups, based on their nutrient content. Eat more dark green veggies, orange veggies, and dry beans. Here are some examples in each subgroup.

Dark green vegetables

bok choy, broccoli, collard greens, dark green leafy lettuce, kale, mesclun, mustard greens, romaine lettuce, spinach, turnip greens, watercress

Orange vegetables

acorn squash, butternut squash, carrots, hubbard squash, pumpkin, sweetpotatos

Dry beans and peas

black beans, black-eyed peas, garbanzo beans (chickpeas), kidney beans, lentils, lima beans (mature), navy beans, pinto beans, soy beans, split peas, tofu (bean curd made from soybeans), white beans

Starchy vegetables

corn, green peas, lima beans (green), potatoes

Other vegetables

artichokes, asparagus, bean sprouts, beets, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, cucumbers, eggplant, green beans, green or red peppers, iceberg (head) lettuce, mushrooms, okra, onions, parsnips, tomatoes, tomato juice, vegetable juice, turnips, wax beans, zucchini

3. Eat a variety of fruit. Choose fresh, frozen, canned, or dried fruit. Go easy on fruit juices.

4. Make most of your fat sources from fish, nuts, and vegetable oils. Limit solid fats like butter, stick margarine, shortening, and lard. However a few plant oils (coconut oil, palm kernel oil) are high in saturated fats and should be considered to be solid fats.

5. Milk products have high saturated fats,but also many key nutrients like protein, calcium, magnesium, folate, B1, B2, B6, B12, and vitamins A, D, and E. They are good source for calcium. How can you take these nutrients without saturated fats? Take low-fat or fat-free dairy products. As a note, foods made from milk that have little to no calcium are cream cheese, cream, and butter.

6. Most meat and poultry choices should be lean or low-fat. Bake it, broil it, or grill it. Fish, nuts, and seeds contain healthy oils. Choose them frequently instead of meat or poultry. Select fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon, trout, and herring. Beans are so nutritious that the latest dietary guidelines recommend we triple our current intake from 1 to 3 cups per week. Beans are comparable to meat when it comes to calories. But they really shine in terms of fiber and water content, two ingredients that make you feel fuller, faster. Adding beans to your diet helps cut calories without feeling deprived. One cup of beans provides about 12 grams of fiber. Adult women need 21 to 25 grams per day, while 30 to 38 grams are necessary for adult men. On the other hand, meat contains no fiber at all. This high fiber content in beans means beans are digested slowly, keeping you satisfied longer, while meat is digested fairly quickly. Furthermore, beans are low in sugar preventing insulin in the blood from spiking and causing hunger. When you eat beans instead of meat, you get the additional bonus of a decrease in saturated fats. Beans have high antioxidants (phytochemicals) that meat lacks. Antioxidants prevent cell damages from free radicals in the body and help people not developing everything from cancer and aging to neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. In top 100 common foods containing high antioxidants, three types of beans made the top four: small red beans, red kidney beans, and pint beans. Black beans, navy beans, and black-eyed peas are within the top 40.

Liver and other organ meats are high in cholesterol. Processed meats such as ham, sausage, frankfurters, and luncheon or deli meats have added sodium. Sunflower seeds, almonds, and hazelnuts are the richest sources of vitamin E as an antioxidant.