Nutritional Foods

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When we talk about nutritional foods we envision the food pyramid. The food pyramid is a nutritional guide to help people eat the best diet they can that will be healthy and non-fattening. The fact is, the food pyramid has various iterations like the food pyramid for growing children and the food pyramid for slimming down.

This article will discuss the general food pyramid for nutritional use. First let us discuss how to use the food pyramid. The shape of the food pyramid is basically a triangle where the most essential and nutritious foods can be found on the upper end or the pointy bit of the triangle. This is the 1992 food pyramid. There is actually a new 2005 food pyramid consisting of parts divided from left to right and not from top to bottom.

Regardless of this fact, it is not true that you can eat only one part of the pyramid. The ideal diet should be eating from all the parts of the food pyramid. When you have done so, this is called a nutritional diet, or a balanced diet.

Grains Group

The grains group includes bread, cereal, rice, and pasta. This is the staple food as we know it. This part of the pyramid is important because grains provide energy to our bodies. Not only this, the grains group also provide a bit of protein to the diet.

You can get the most benefit of grain foods from brown rice, tortillas, grits, and oatmeal.

Vegetable and Fruits Group

The vegetable and fruits group obviously have the most vitamin and minerals content among all the parts of the food pyramid. You can get great amounts of iron, calcium and vitamin C from vegetables. Not only this, legumes can also provide a good dose of protein for the body.

The best benefit of vegetables and fruit groups is that they are very low on fat and calories for so many benefits to the body. In fact, there is also an exclusive vegetarian food pyramid.

Oil Group

This must be the must-avoid foods in the group. These are ice cream, oils, sweets, sugar, and chocolate. Nutritionist would have people avoid or eat less in this group.

Milk, Yoghurt and Cheese Group

This group is also a protein provider for the body. Dairy products like milk have protein, calcium, phosphorous, vitamin A, and vitamin D. The problem with this food group is the fact that they are full of saturated fat and calories. When you want to consume food from this group, you can either consume less or you can buy skimmed products.

Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans, Eggs and Nuts Group

These are the major source for protein, iron, zinc, and vitamin B12. This is what gives the body developed muscles and a whole lot of energy.

You can also get meat alternatives like beans, eggs, and nuts. This is primarily the reason why most of these types of foods are segregated with this last part of the food pyramid.

Same as the last group, this group here is also full of fat and cholesterol. The truth is that by cutting back on this group can be very beneficial to your health especially the health of your heart.

Where to Find the Food Pyramid

There is a 1992 food pyramid, but it was superseded by the 2005 USDA food pyramid. You can find a picture of the food pyramid and more information about nutritional foods from Wikipedia, and a quick Google search can get you more information about the food pyramid.

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