Back to Basics: Relearning How to Eat Using the Food Guide Pyramid

The food guide pyramid, remember that?  Remember learning about it in elementary school; cutting out pictures of bread and broccoli, and pasting them onto the correct food group inside a ditto of a large pyramid?  We were learning how to eat a balanced diet.  Then suddenly, the unit stopped, and we moved on to learn about syllables and compound fractions.  Even health class in middle and high school seemed to forget about such an important topic.  Not saying that learning about the dangers of smoking and sexual transmitted diseases are not important, but considering the epidemic of obesity, heart disease, and diabetes in the United States, maybe we should re-introduce it once again.  As a personal trainer, I work closely with people trying to meet their fitness goals with exercise.  However, exercise alone is ineffective in achieving one’s goals if the diet is not rich in healthy foods, consistent, and balanced.   One thing I noticed in my field is how people forgot how to eat.  It is as if they have no idea what the food guide pyramid is.  I am not referring to adolescents or undereducated adults, I am referring to intelligent, educated, adults, who do not know how to eat, and have no idea how their eating habits or diets are affecting the way their body looks and feels.   This article will explore, step by step the Food Guide Pyramid published by www.mypyramid.gov, and explain the importance of eating a healthy balanced diet. 

We first learned that the bulk of our diet should come from whole grains, at least six servings or three ounces a day.   Diets such as Atkins branded carbohydrates as “bad.”   Not true, our body requires them, they are our preferred energy source and we must consume the required amounts every day.  How do we do that?  By eating whole grains with every meal.  What are whole grains?  Think of the pictures you pasted….bread, oatmeal, cereal (no, not the sugary corn puffs).  Whole grains keep us “going” throughout the day.  According to www.mypyramid.gov, there are two types of grains whole grains and refined grains.  Whole grains contain the entire grain kernel, including the bran, germ, and endosperm.  Examples of whole grains are whole-wheat flour, cracked wheat, oatmeal, and brown rice.  Refined grains have been milled, a process that removes the bran and germ. This is done to give grains a finer texture and improve their shelf life, but it also removes dietary fiber, iron, and many B vitamins. Some examples of refined grain products are sugary cereals, white flour, white bread, and white rice.  Most refined grains are enriched; meaning certain B vitamins (thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folic acid) and iron are added after processing.  However, fiber is not replaced to enriched grains (retrieved August 25, 2008 from www.mypyramid.gov).  Dietary fiber, also known as roughage or bulk, includes all parts of plants that the body cannot be digested or absorbed. Unlike other food components such as fats, proteins or carbohydrates, which your body breaks down and absorbs, fiber is not digested. Therefore, it passes nearly unchanged through your stomach, small intestine and into the colon. Some of the benefits of fiber include, preventing constipation, lowering the risk of digestive conditions, lowering blood cholesterol levels, controlling blood sugar levels, assisting in weight loss, and might even have an effect in decreasing the risk of colorectal cancer ( retrieved August 25, 2008 from www.mayoclinic.com/health/fiber/NU00033). 

Next was the fruit and vegetable group, remember those, how they come in a rainbow of different colors.  Red apples, strawberries, beets, oranges, carrots, cantaloupe, yellow zucchini, corn, bananas, green asparagus, broccoli, green leaf lettuce, kiwi, purple eggplant, raspberries and blackberries.  These various colored fruits and vegetables contain various antioxidants, such as lutein, lycopene, zeaxanthin, carotenoids, polyphenols, selenium, vitamins A (beta-carotene), C, and E.  Oxidative stress, according to McCall and Frei (1999), can result in the production of free radicals, which are partially responsible for many degenerative diseases associated with aging, such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, cognitive impairments, Alzheimer’s disease, immune dysfunction, cataracts, and macular degeneration.  The vitamins in fruits and vegetables, such as the B vitamins, are essential for metabolism and nervous system function.  Vitamin D promotes bone mineralization, vitamin E regulates oxidation, and vitamin K assists in blood clotting and regulates blood calcium.  Minerals such as potassium maintains fluid and electrolyte balance, calcium helps in the formation of bones and teeth and supports blood clotting, iron carries oxygen throughout body’s cells  ( retrieved August 25, 2008 from www.healthchecksystems.com/vitamins).  The goal is to get as many of these antioxidants and vitamins as we can.  How do we do that?  By eating a variety of the required amount of servings per day.  So no, eating three oranges a day does not count as eating three servings.  We need a variety of colors to get the most nutrients.  How do we get our recommend amount?  We eat at least one fruit or vegetable with every meal, preferably more than one or two with our largest meal of the day.  Remember fruit juices do count, but they are often loaded with sugar, calories, and are missing the fiber found in most fruits.    

Dairy or what we called “the milk group” contains all fluid milk products and foods made from milk.   This food group contains foods made from milk that retain their calcium content such as yogurt and cheese.  Foods that do not maintain calcium such as cream cheese or butter are not considered in this group.  It is important to choose fat-free or low-fat dairy products to decrease the amount of fat, calories, and cholesterol in the body.   We are required to consume at least 100mg of calcium per day, meaning that we must eat two to three servings or cups of dairy per day to achieve this.  How do we do this?  Eat a serving a dairy for breakfast or lunch, and another for a mid-day or mid-morning snack.   For those who are lactose intolerant, choose lactose-free options.   Dairy products are also rich in proteins, an essential macro nutrient the body requires.  You will read more about proteins in the next food group (www.mypyramid.gov). 

Then there was the “meat group.”  This group contains our protein sources, such as meats, beans or legumes.  Proteins are made up of about 20 amino acids linked together by peptide bonds.  Protein’s primary function is to build and repair the body’s tissues and structure’s. They are also involved in the synthesis of hormones, enzymes, and other regularity peptides.  The calories from proteins can also be used as energy if there are insufficient amounts of carbohydrates in one’s diet.  There are two types of amino acids, essential and non-essential.  Essential amino acids cannot be made in the body and if so, are made in insufficient amounts.  Essential amino acids typically come from animal sources.  Therefore, essential amino acids must come from food.  Non-essential amino acids can be manufactured by the body from nitrogen, carbohydrates, and fat and typically come from plant sources.  Essential amino acids include Isoleucine, Leucine, Lysine, Methionine, Phenylalanine, Threonine, Tryptophan, and Valine.  Arginine and Histidine are considered semi-essential.  The non-essential amino acids are Alanine, Asparagine, Aspartic acid, Cysteine, Glutamic acid, Glutamine, Glycine, Proline, Serine, and Trysine.  If a food supplies all of the essential amino acids in appropriate ratios, it is considered a complete protein.  If a food is low or lacking one or more essential amino acids, it is considered to be an incomplete protein (Clark et al., 2004). 

Where does one get complete and incomplete protein sources? Below is a list of examples of various food sources and the essential and non-essential amino acids present. 

 (retrieved August 26, 2008 from www.gymaddiction.com/nutrition/aminoacids). 

How much protein does one need?  Gender, amount of lean body mass and the amount of aerobic and anaerobic exercise affects one’s protein requirements.  Typically, people require 0.8g of protein per 1kg of body weight per day or the Recommended Daily Allowance of 15-30% of total caloric intake.   A recreational athletic individual will require about 1.2-1.8g per 1kg of body weight per day, whereas bodybuilders and endurance athletes will need between 1.6-2.0g of protein per 1kg of body weight per day (Clark et al. 2004).   A typical serving of protein is about the size of your palm.  If you have a huge steak on you plate, cut off a piece the size of your palm, and put the rest aside. 

Lastly, fats oils, sweets…to use sparingly.  I will include alcohol here too.  Many forget that a couple glasses of wine or a few beers can be equal to a slice of cake or a bowl of ice cream (all are empty calories or calories with no nutrients).   I will also include non-diet soda here as well, as soda, like other sugary drinks, are empty calories with no nutrient value.  (If you are going to indulge in sweets, think to yourself, how active were you today, can your body support or use these additional calories, or will they simply be stored as fat?   The body certainly requires sugars and fats, but try to get them from healthy food sources such as fruit, and nuts, not cakes and cookies.

What I mentioned here are the minimums of what our bodies require.  How much more we consume will depend on our caloric needs.  Obviously, teens and active men will consume more than an inactive middle-aged woman.   To break down the minimums: six services of whole grains at 100 calories equal 600 calories.  Three servings of vegetables at 50 calories each will equal 150 calories.  Two servings of dairy at 100 calories apiece will equal 200 calories.   Two servings of meat (lean) at 150 calories apiece will equal 300 calories, for a total of 1,250 calories per day.  This is the average amount of calories required per day that the body needs to function or survive.  Therefore, it is never wise to eat less than about 1200 calories per day and it is also never wise to eat 12-1300 calories per day, and then perform strenuous exercise.  You will simply not have the energy to perform at your potential.   When you take in too few calories, your body will respond by conserving energy and expending fewer calories during daily activities.   Our bodies have adapted to perform this way by our ancestors when food was scarce during the winter months, or due to a drought.   Notice how none of the above calories are from drinks?  If your drink contains calories, they must be factored in.  A glass of juice will count as a serving or two of fruit.  A glass of milk will count as a serving of dairy.  Sugary soft drinks will count as a sweet, and should be used sparingly, and certainly not on a daily basis. 

For those who need additional calories, you would simple increase the serving depending on your needs.  If you are active, an increase in whole grains for energy would be necessary.   For those who perform strenuous exercise and heavy lifting, as mentioned above, an increase in protein would be necessary for muscle repair. Look to your own protein requirements here, as excess amino acids are not stored for future use and are not used by the body.  These additional protein calories will simply be stored as fat.   For those looking to cut calories to loose weight, it is important to eat the most nutrient dense foods you can possible eat.  As we restrict our diets, we decrease our opportunity to ingest essential vitamins, minerals, and other important nutrients.  To avoid that constant hunger, eat foods that are satisfying.  Whole grains tend to be more filling than refined starches.  Have a bowl of oatmeal with fruit in it instead of the “Special K breakfast.”   You will end up eating few calories a couple hours later because you will be more satisfied.  Vegetables are extremely satisfying, and are low in calories, so eat up.   Sound boring?  Get some light dressing or light ranch or vegetable dip, and dip the vegetables into to it, just enough to add flavor, not huge globs of it.  This is an example of a great mid-day snack.   Enjoy it, the same way you cannot stay away from the vegetable platter at parties. 

Melanie Mogavero, CSCS, RYT