The Food Guide Pyramid*
All the food groups are important to give you all the nutrients you need to be a healthy you. This is what each section means. (To see menu plans-click on the menu or diet notes near the bottom of the page.)
Fats, Oils, & Sweets-
These include: mayonnaise, butter, soda pop, ketchup(yes, it has a little bit healthy stuff but margarine has vitamin A, and it is still here), margarine, coffee, tea, sugars, cakes, sweets of all sorts, potato chips, strawberry shortcake, cookies, candy, chocolate-and on, and on, and on. We get the message right? Well, all of this should be eaten very sparingly.Milk, Yogurt, & Cheese Group-
These include: milk, cheese(all types), yogurt, and cottage cheese. You should get around 2 or 3 servings of these a day. If you are pregnant or nursing an infant, you will need more.Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans, Eggs, & Nuts Group-
These include: hamburgers, pork chops, chicken, fish, eggs, peanuts, walnuts, etc. You should eat around 2 or 3 servings of these each day.Vegetable Group-
These include: carrots, cabbage, celery, green beans, corn, peas, lima beans, broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, and more. You should eat between 3 and 5 servings of these each day. Some people need more, but it is unlikely you need less.Fruit Group-
These include: apples, oranges, pears, strawberries, cantaloupe, melons, grapefruits, bananas, etc. You should eat between 2 and 4 servings of these each day. Some people need more, and again, it is unlikely you will need less.Bread, Cereal, Rice, & Pasta Group-
This one is the easy group-all carbohydrates here. This is the one everyone tries to give up with the new fad diets. You should eat 6-11 servings of these each day. You should not give this food group up.The Food Guide Pyramid is to help us see what our daily consumption of foods should be. If used correctly, we should stay healthy. When on a diet you should be sure to consult this chart and find out what each section helps with. If the diet leaves out whole sections of this chart. You should watch for symptoms of the side effects of that section. Should those side effects occur, then you need to return those items to your diet, increase supplements, and/or seek your doctor's advice.
*The "Food Guide Pyramid" was developed by the USDA and recommended by the Department of Health and Human Resources (HHS). The resource used to get this information was the FDA.