Healthy Eating Pyramid – Guidelines Daily Exercise & Weight Control The Healthy Eating Pyramid has a picture of “Daily Exercise and Weight Control” on its base, showing that these two related elements strongly influence your chances of staying healthy. They also affect what you eat and how your food affects you. Exercise and weight control are also linked through the simple rule of energy balance; that you will gain weight if you eat more than you burn. By exercising regularly it will help you control
Vegetables and fruits take up a big section of the food pyramid, showing their importance. Vegetables and fruits are rich in color and taste. They add variety to your diet and are a feast for the eyes, but they can do even more for you. By eating a lot of vegetables and fruits everyday you will gain the possibility to stay healthy throughout your life. You will create a beneficial habit that may: lower your blood pressure, reduce your risks of having cardiovascular diseases and cancer, protect you from losing your vision when you are getting older and also help you from having diverticulitis (intestinal ailment).
Healthy Fats and Oils The Healthy Eating Pyramid puts the fats and oils near the base which is a bit different and unconventional if you compare to other food pyramids, but it makes sense. They are inline with the evidence: unsaturated fats are healthy fats. They don’t improve cholesterol levels and they can protect against heart problems. Putting the fats and oils near the base is also in line with common eating habits since the average American gets about one-third of its daily calories from fat. This is why it is so important to eat healthy fats.Healthy fats can be found in vegetable oils, nuts, seeds, avocados and fatty fish like salmon.
Fish, Poultry and Eggs Fish, poultry and eggs are included in the food pyramid because they are rich in protein. Chicken and turkey are also good sources of protein and are low in saturated fat. Research suggests that you can reduce the risk of heart disease if you eat fish rich in omega-3 fats. Salmon, trout and herring are especially high in omega-3 fatty acids. Eggs have been said to be bad for your health because they are high in cholesterol, but if you compare it to a doughnut made from refined flour and cooked in oil (rich in trans fat), eating an egg for breakfast is a much healthier alternative. If you have diabetes or heart disease you should not eat more than 3 eggs (egg yolk) a week.