The Food Pyramid and Kids Food Pyramid


The Food Pyramid and Kids Food Pyramid




Food pyramid guide
Released in 1992, the food pyramid is a nutrition guide suggesting how much of each food category one should eat each day for a healthy diet.
In general terms the food guide pyramid recommends the following intake of different food groups each day:
6-11 servings of grain a day such as rice, bread, cereals, and pasta;
3-5 servings a day of vegetables, especially green, leafy vegetables;
2-4 servings of fruits a day;
2-3 servings of meat, fish, eggs, nuts, or beans a day;
2-3 servings of dairy products including cheese and yogurt every other day;
occasional use of fats, oils, and sweets.
The pyramid allowed individuals to consume the foods within a certain range of servings, but in the original version released in 1992 gave no hint on how to interpret that choice.
My Food Pyramid:
Later on, The United States Department of Agriculture released a new version of the 1992 food pyramid called MyPyramid which gives a hint about what a serving should contain:
Grains, recommending that at least half of grains consumed be as whole grains;
Vegetables, emphasizing dark green vegetables, orange vegetables, and dry beans and peas;
Fruits, emphasizing variety and deemphasizing fruit juices;
Oils, recommending fish, nut and vegetables sources;
Milk, a category that includes other dairy products;
Meat and beans, emphasizing low-fat and lean meats such as fish as well as more beans, peas, nuts, and seeds.
That doesn’t help me too much, so I searched deeper for how much is a serving. I found out that some nutritionists have established the serving sizes for a 2000 calories/day diet.
Grains
1 bread slice
1/2 roll
5 – 6 small biscuits or 3 – 4 large biscuits
1/2 cup of cereals, rise or cooked pasta
1 medium baked potato
80 g fried potatoes
100 g smashed potato
Fruits
1 fruit (apple, banana or a medium orange)
1/2 grapefruit
1 slice melon
3/4 cup of fruits juice
1/2 cup of small fruits (raspberry, blackberry, blueberry etc.)
1/2 cup of sliced fruits, cooked or form a can
1/4 cup of figs
Dry Vegetables, Nuts And Seeds
1/2 cooked beans
6 peanuts
2 table spoons of peanut butter
1/3 cup of nuts/seeds
Greens
1/2 cup of cooked greens
1/2 cup of sliced greens
1 cup of greens (spinach, green salad)
3/4 cup of greens juice
Dairy, Eggs
1 cup of milk
1 cup of soy milk
1 glass (250 ml) of yogurt
30 – 50 chees
1 egg
Oil And Fats
1 tea spoon of oil
1 tea spoon of margarine
1 tea spoon of salad dressing
1 table spoon of mayonnaise


Kids Food Pyramid


The Food Guide Pyramid for young children (displayed below) was designed by the US Dept. of Agriculture to promote healthy nutrition in children from the age of 2 - 6 years. It is meant to be a general guide to daily food choices.

The main emphasis of the food pyramid is on the five major food groups, all of which are required for good health. It also emphasizes that foods that include a lot of fats, oils and sweets should be used very sparingly.

After the age of two or three years, you can begin to use 2%, low fat, or skim milk instead of whole milk. Your child's diet should resemble that of the rest of the families, with 3 meals and 2 nutritious snacks each day. You should limit milk and dairy products to about 16-24oz each day and juice to about 4-6oz each day and offer a variety of foods to encourage good eating habits later.

Feeding practices to avoid are continuing to use a bottle, giving large amounts of sweet desserts, soft drinks, fruit-flavored drinks, sugarcoated cereals, chips or candy, as they have little nutritional value. Also avoid giving foods that your child can choke on, such as raw carrots, peanuts, whole grapes, tough meats, popcorn, chewing gum or hard candy.

Your child's nutrition is important to her overall health. Proper nutrition can also prevent many medical problems, including becoming overweight, developing weak bones, and developing diabetes. It will also ensure that your child physically grows to her full potential.

The best nutrition advise to keep your child healthy includes encouraging her to:

    * Eat a variety of foods
    * Balance the food you eat with physical activity
    * Choose a diet with plenty of grain products, vegetables and fruits
    * Choose a diet low in fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol
    * Choose a diet moderate in sugars and salt
    * Choose a diet that provides enough calcium and iron to meet their growing body's requirements. 

You can also help promote good nutrition by setting a good example. Healthy eating habits and regular exercise should be a regular part of your family's life. It is much easier if everyone in the house follows these guidelines, than if your child has to do it alone. You should also buy low-calorie and low-fat meals, snacks and desserts, low fat or skim milk and diet drinks. Avoid buying high calorie desserts or snacks, such as snack chips, regular soft drinks or regular ice cream.

kids food guide pyramid

What counts as one serving?
To ensure good nutrition in your child and that they grow up healthy, they will need to eat a large variety of foods. The amount of foods that they eat is much less important. Remember that your child's appetite may decrease and become pickier over the next few years as his growth rate slows. As long as they are gaining weight and have a normal activity level, then you have little to worry about. You can still offer them a variety of foods, but can decrease the serving sizes if they don't eat a lot.

Grain group servings include 1 slice of bread, 1/2 cup of cooked rice or pasta, 1/2 cup of cooked cereal, and 1 ounce of ready to eat cereal. Your child should eat 6 servings from this group.

Vegetable group servings include 1/2 cup of chopped or raw vegetables, or 1 cup of raw leafy vegetables. Your child should eat 3 servings from this group.

Fruit group servings include 1 piece of fruit or melon wedge, 3/4 cup of 100% fruit juice, 1/2 cup of canned fruit, or 1/4 cup of dried fruit. Your child should eat 2 servings from this group.

Milk group servings include 1 cup of milk or yogurt or 2 ounces of cheese. Your child should eat 2 servings from this group.

Meat group servings include 2 to 3 ounces of cooked lean meat, poultry or fish, 1/2 cup of cooked dry beans. You can substitute 2 tablespoons of peanut butter or 1 egg for 1 ounce of meat. Your child should eat 2 servings from this group.

Fats, Oils and Sweets
No more than 30% of your diet should come from fats. For a 1600 calorie diet, that would equal 53g of fat each day, with most preschool children requiring even less. The type of fat that you eat is also important. Saturated fats in foods such as meats, dairy products, coconut, palm and palm kernal oil, raise cholesterol more than unsaturated fats, which are found in olive, peanut, and canola oils, or polyunsaturated fats in safflower, sunflower, corn, soybean and cottonseed oils. Limit saturated fats to no more than 10% of daily calories.

Sugars supply a large amount of calories, with little nutritional value. They include white sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup, honey and molasses and foods like candy, soft drinks, jams, and jellies.

Selection tips:

    * use lean meats and skim or lowfat dairy products
    * use unsaturated vegetable oils and margarines that list a liquid vegetable oil as the first ingredient on the label
    * read the nutrition label on foods to check for the amount and type of fat it includes
    * limit foods that contain a large amount of saturated fats
    * limit foods high in sugar and avoid adding extra sugar to your foods

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