How Does a Food Pyramid Help Individuals Eat a Healthy Diet?

The food pyramid is a guide developed for the public to understand the importance of foods and the amounts that should be consumed. We provide protein, fat, carbohydrate, vitamins and minerals that are necessary for our nutrition from food. In a healthy diet, a certain amount should be taken from each food, sufficient and balanced nutrition should be provided.

In this article, we will talk about the structure of the food pyramid and the general characteristics of the foods in the pyramid.

What is a Food Pyramid?

The food pyramid is a guide in which the food groups we need to take in our diet are ranked according to their importance. Each country has created different food pyramids according to their own eating habits and conditions. In our country, a food pyramid has been developed based on cultural factors and healthy eating habits.

Our foods and beverages differ in terms of the type and amount of nutrients they contain. Some of the foods are rich in energy, some in protein, some in carbohydrate, some in fat and some in vitamins and minerals. For this reason, foods are divided into 5 groups in terms of the benefits they provide and the similarity in the nutritional pattern.

These;

• Meat, legumes, hazelnuts, peanuts, walnuts, etc.
• Milk and derivatives
• Vegetables and fruits
• Cereal and its derivatives
• Oils and dessert

Bread, which is at the bottom of the food pyramid and should be consumed frequently, starts with the cereal group and goes towards the foods that should be consumed less.

Bread, Cereal Group

The lowest food group in the healthy nutrition pyramid and the most consumed food group is the bread and cereal group. Wheat, corn, rice, flour, bread, pasta, bulgur etc. foods are included in this group. Foods in this group have less protein than the first and second groups. Most of these foods are carbohydrates . Particularly bran-free grains and bulgur are rich in B group vitamins.

Eating 3-8 medium slices of bread per day is sufficient depending on the working situation. For children and those who spend most of their time sitting, eating 3-8 medium slices of bread per day is sufficient. Moving people can increase a few slices. Since how much should be consumed is related to the physiological characteristics and activity level of your person, a dietician should be consulted on this issue. Whenever possible, natural and unrefined products should be preferred over processed products. Products made of whole wheat and meals made with bulgur have an important place in healthy nutrition. For this reason, this food group covers the largest area on the food pyramid .

Vegetables and Fruits

Turkey specific fruits and vegetables food pyramid is located at 2. All kinds of vegetables and fruits are collected under this group. Fresh vegetables and fruits provide many vitamins and minerals that we cannot get from other groups. Most fruits and vegetables are water. It also contains carbohydrates, small amounts of protein, vitamins and minerals. Rich in vitamin C : green leafy vegetables, citrus fruits, kiwi, strawberries, peaches, tomatoes and potatoes. Vegetables and fruits, which are yellow and green in color, are also rich in carotenes, which are the precursors of vitamin A. In addition, green leafy vegetables are rich in most of the B vitamins and vitamins E and K. Would you like to know the health benefits of turmeric?

Raw or cooked foods in this group should be consumed at least 5 portions a day . For example, 2 servings of vegetables, 2 portions of fruit, 1 portion of salad per day can meet your daily vegetable and fruit needs. Of course, this is a general judgment. A healthy eating program should be completely personal, so that a healthy diet can be provided.

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Meat and Dairy products, Legumes

In this step of the nutrition pyramid, there are foods rich in protein. Foods such as cattle, sheep, poultry and game animals, fish, dried legumes, eggs, hazelnuts, peanuts, walnuts, yoghurt, cheese, cottage cheese, milk powder are included in this group. Foods in this group contain more protein than other groups.  Meat products are also rich in terms of iron, zinc and B group vitamins. Dried legumes are rich in pulp. White meats and lean fish are the least fatty meats.

Foods in the milk group are rich in protein, calcium, vitamin A and some B group vitamins. It plays a role in growth and maintaining bone health. Therefore, growing children, pregnant and lactating women, the elderly should consume more than adults from this group. You can consume 2 glasses of milk or yogurt or 3-4 matchboxes of cheese or cottage cheese or 1 glass of milk or yogurt with 2-3 matchboxes per day.

One or more of the foods in this group should be consumed every day. However, excessive consumption can cause adverse effects on the digestive system, as well as lead to defects in kidney and some tissues. Meat and dairy products are in the 3rd level of the food pyramid.

Oils and Desserts

Although the foods in this group are an important source of energy for our body, their excessive consumption causes many chronic diseases, especially obesity. Butter contains vitamin A, and liquid oils contain vitamin E. Foods in this group contain more energy and less nutrients. Therefore, attention should be paid to the amount while consuming. Saturated and saturated oils should be consumed as little as possible, while consuming oil, vegetable oils such as olive oil should be preferred. Molasses from desserts is rich in calcium and iron. Therefore, small amounts of molasses should be preferred instead of sugars.

The amount to be taken daily in this group depends on the individual’s working status. Usually, 1-2 tablespoons of oil and 1-2 tablespoons of sugar, jam, honey or molasses per day, including breakfast and meals, may be sufficient for sedentary people. In addition, those who work in active and heavy jobs may need one portion of dessert meals 1-2 times a day. Although we cannot completely remove this food group, which is at the top of the food pyramid and should be consumed at least, from our lives, we need to keep it at a certain limit.

Healthy Food Pyramid

Each group in the food pyramid should be selected according to the possibilities. Some of the foods in the vegetable and fruit group are more common in some seasons. Seasonal fruits and vegetables are both more valuable and less expensive. So, we should take care to consume vegetables and fruits according to the season.

Especially red meat (veal, beef, sheep, lamb) is fat. Fat should not be added in addition to the meals in which these meats are placed. Since vegetables, legumes, rice, flour and pasta contain very little oil, sufficient amount of oil should be added to these foods while cooking.

If there is a sufficient amount of one or a few foods from each group in each meal, sufficient and balanced nutrition is provided. Do not forget that the healthy nutrition pyramid is also the key to a healthy diet.