The Food Pyramid is a general guide for nutrition advice. This Food Pyramid is designed by Walter C. Willett and Meir J. Stampfer, professors of medicine at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Willett chairs the school's department of nutrition, while Dr. Stampfer heads the department of epidemiology. While there is some controversy over this Healthy Eating Pyramid, almost all experts agree that this pyramid is highly superior to the USDA Food Pyramid revised in 2005.
Make sure you monitor your blood sugar with the tools in your diabetic supplies. Any medication you take and any items you use in your diabetic supply are only part of the overall lifestyle when living with diabetes. A good diet is the core of a healthy lifestyle, even for non-diabetics. As with all nutritional advice you hear, you should consult a Registered Dietitian before implementing any nutritional advice.
Here are the parts of the Food Pyramid from the top down:
Red meat and butter – use these sparingly
- These contain high amounts of saturated fats. Unlike polyunsaturated fats or mono unsaturated fats, which are found in high amounts in say, olive oil or canola oil, saturated fats raise your cholesterol levels.
White rice, white bread, potatoes, pasta and sweets -use these sparingly.
- These items cause fast and furious increases in blood sugar. You can suffer that can lead to weight gain, heart disease,and a host of other things if you eat these unchecked. If you do eat these, make sure you use your diabetic supplies to check your glucose level.
- Whole-grain carbohydrates cause slower, steadier increases in blood sugar. When choosing starches, choose whole grain products. Like whole fruit, whole grain products have more fiber and fiber is good. Whole grain products also have more nutritional value.
- Sweets are high in fat and sugar. You shouldn't consume them apart from your diet.
Dairy or calcium supplement – one to two servings
- Include low-fat or nonfat milk or yogurt. If you like dairy foods, don't stray too far from low-fat or non-fat products. Remember that yogurt has natural sugar in it.
- You need calcium and vitamin D for building bone. If you don't like dairy products, take a calcium supplement.
- Two glasses of whole milk have almost as much saturated fat as about 8 strips of bacon.
Fish, poultry and eggs – 0 to two servings
- Include a healthy amount of fish and poultry in your diet. They are important sources of protein and eating fish is widely believed to reduce your risk of heart disease.
- Eggs, despite the high level of cholesterol, aren't as bad as they have been made out to be. Generally speaking, eggs are better for you than bagels made with refined flour.
- Bake, roast, broil, or grill meat or fish instead of frying or sautéing. If you braise meat, try to do it without adding any extra fat.
Nuts and legumes 1 TO 3 SERVINGS
- Legumes and Nuts are great sources of protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
- Beans, beans, beans. Beans taste good and are a good source of fiber.
- Legumes include black beans, navy beans, garbanzos, peanuts, and other beans that are usually sold dried.
- Nuts usually contain healthy fats and make great snacks. Wouldn't you want a package of pistachios in you day?
Vegetables IN ABUNDANCE
- Choose fresh over frozen vegetables when you can, and avoid frozen vegetables with added sauces and flavorings. Avoiding prepared food in general is a good idea because of hidden salt and other items.
- Dark green and richly-colored yellow vegetables, such as spinach and yellow capsicums are rich in nutrients. They make your plate prettier, too.
Fruit – two to three servings
- Choose whole fruits over juices because they have fiber. Fiber is good.
- Choose whole fruit over canned fruit, or at least choose canned fruit with no added sugar.
Whole-grain foods -often
- The best sources of carbohydrates are whole grains such as oatmeal, whole-wheat bread, and brown rice, and these give you energy.
- Since the body can't digest whole grains as fast as highly processed carbohydrates, e.g. white flour, blood sugar and insulin levels rise and fall steadily, not quickly.
- Tortillas and pitas are tasty and low-fat. Try to find the whole grain versions in the supermarket.
Plant oils (olive, canola, soy, corn, sunflower, peanut and other vegetable oils)- often
- Fats often? Low-fat diets have been touted as a guard against cholesterol for so long that this seems strange but now we know there is a difference between good cholesterol (HDL) found in unsaturated fats and bad cholesterol (LDL) found in saturated fats. What is desired in a diet is a high to low ratio of HDL to LDL and plant oils generally are low in LDL and high in HDL.
- Avoid coconut or and palm oil. These have high levels of LDL.
Exercise, exercise, exercise
- This is the base of the pyramid. Exercising often is the second part of a healthy life. Diet alone cannot do it. So find and activity that makes you move.
