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.
