Food pyramid - the basis of proper nutrition for every day

The food pyramid is a peculiar scheme of the principles of healthy nutrition. It was developed by the School of Public Health at Harvard. Proposed by American nutritionists, the food pyramid was approved by specialists of the Institute of Nutrition of the Russian Federation. If you use the proposed scheme, your body will receive all the necessary components, vitamins, vegetable fibers and fatty acids from the consumed food, you will avoid high-calorie pro Duktov and do not gain excess weight.

What does the food pyramid look like?

Schematically it is an isosceles triangle, which is divided into four floors by horizontal lines. The height of the floors of the pyramid is approximately the same. The lower the floor, the more products of this group should be on your table. And, conversely, on the uppermost level are those of the foods that should be eaten as little as possible.

1st floor (base of the pyramid). Here are cereal whole-grain products - bread made from rye flour, pasta, brown rice and other cereals (buckwheat, oatmeal, corn, pearl barley). Number of servings per day - from 6 to 11. Products from this group should form the basis of your diet, they are rich in dietary fiber and provide the body with energy. Bread from refined flour is not included in this group, it is located on the top floor of the pyramid along with sweets and fats. Previously, this group included potatoes, now it was moved to the upper stage because of the high content of starch, which contributes to weight gain.

2nd floor. It is divided between vegetables and fruits. For a day, you should eat 2-4 servings of fruit and 3-5 servings of vegetables. Include in the daily diet a variety of fruits and vegetables, preferably in different colors. In your menu must be present fruits orange, red, yellow and green. Frozen foods can replace fresh ones if they are properly cooked. Instead of a portion of fruits and vegetables, you can use their substitutes - natural fruit juices, as well as dried fruits.

3rd floor. This includes protein products (meat, nuts, fish, seeds, eggs and legumes). They should be eaten in the amount of 2-3 servings per day. At the same level, there are dairy products (cottage cheese, cheese, yogurt, kefir), the recommended daily number of servings - 2-3. Choose low-fat meat, poultry without skin, sea fish (it should be included in the diet several times a week). But industrial semi-finished products, sausages, bacon should be limited.

4th floor. This includes fats (butter and vegetable oil), sweets, confectionery, carbonated drinks and desserts. They are not in vain at the top, their number in the menu should be minimal. The body can not do without fatty foods, they are necessary for the flow of biochemical reactions and the synthesis of vitamins. Preference should be given to natural vegetable oils - olive, corn, linseed, sunflower.

The food pyramid in percentages is as follows: first floor products - 40% of the daily ration, the second - 35%, the third floor - 20%, and the fourth floor - 5%.

What is proper nutrition for every day? These are several portions of products from the lower level, 5 servings of vegetables and fruits, 2-3 servings of protein-containing products.

What is a serving?

This is a conventional unit, the size of which is selected individually, depending on the energy needs of the person. If you take 100 grams for a serving, then in your menu you should have products in the following ratio: 700 grams of cereal and 300 grams of bread, 400 grams of vegetables and 300 grams of fruit, 150 grams of meat, fish, cheese, 2-3 eggs. If the portion is taken as 70 grams, then the amount of all the products decreases accordingly.

If you wish to reduce your weight, then the food pyramid is an excellent model of balanced nutrition, only the size of portions should be reduced. And for people engaged in hard physical labor, the quantity of products must be increased, for example, for one portion, not 100 grams, but 200 grams.

If you want to prolong your life and keep your health to an advanced age, you should consider the principles of healthy eating, include a variety of foods in the diet from all the floors of the pyramid. An important moment that helps to prolong life is moderate physical activity, as well as drinking enough water - 8 glasses a day for the average person.