Articles: Weight Loss

The healthy diet pyramid is a guideline of what to eat each day. It is a tool that people can use to make healthy diet decisions. The pyramid contains a variety of foods, which enable the body to receive the nutrients it needs to not only survive, but to also achieve optimal growth and development. People, who follow the pyramid, find that the food they eat is a great source of energy as well as nutrition. The pyramid diet is also a great way to maintain or even improve one's weight.

In 2005, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) updated the pyramid in order to communicate better information on how to be healthy. This new pyramid has six food groups, and is now vertical. This is opposed to the old food pyramid, which was horizontal and focused on four main food groups. This new pyramid also includes a person walking up a staircase. This is to signify the importance of exercise. The USDA recommends 30 minutes of exercise most days for adults. They recommend 60 minutes of exercise most days for children. The staircase also communicates that it is okay to take a "step by step" approach to leading a healthier lifestyle.

Another difference with this new pyramid is that it acknowledges that the amount a person should eat is different for every person. The amount of food a person should eat is based on factors such as, the amount of exercise a person gets every week. It also depends on if the person is trying to lose, gain, or maintain weight. The person's height and current weight are also factors. To find out your personal healthy diet pyramid plan, visit mypyramid.gov.

Each vertical stripe in the new pyramid is a different color and stands for a specific food group. Here is what the colors stand for and the serving size based on a 2000 calorie diet:

* Orange- Grains: 6 oz. per day (3 oz. should be whole grains)
* Green- Vegetables: 2.5 cups per day
* Red- Fruits: 2 cups per day
* Yellow- Fats and Oils: Keep to a minimum
* Blue- Milk and Dairy Products: 3 cups per day
* Purple- Meat, Beans, Fish, and Nuts: 5.5 oz. per day