The Food Guide Pyramid -The "Official" Guide to Healthy Eating

 "Eat your vegetables." When we were young, our parents provided advice about nutrition. Times were simpler and the basic four food groups seemed to answer all of our nutrition questions. Now, more is known about nutrition and health. What seemed simple is complex, and this complexity poses difficulties as we try to apply nutrition principles to our daily food selections.

To help us avoid the most common dietary pitfalls, the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services recently released their fourth edition of "Nutrition and Your Health: Dietary Guidelines for Americans." The goal of the expert panel of nutrition scientists, physicians and registered dietitians was to answer one simple question: "What should Americans eat to stay healthy?" The guidelines provide advice for people ages 2 years and older about food choices that promote health and prevent disease.

Unlike the first editions of the guidelines which read more like the seven deadly sins of diet, this newer edition is more positive and encourages seven areas of choice. It emphasizes variety in food selections tempered by balance and moderation. Here are the main points in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the Food Guide Pyramid.

Eat a variety of foods

No single food can provide all the nutrients you need. A varied diet increases the likelihood you'll get the proper nutrients. Variety also allows you to balance a few higher-fat, higher-calorie items with more lower-fat, lower-calorie ones. As a result, you are more likely to eat less fat and fewer calories.

Balance the food you eat with physical activity

The most important change made in the new edition of the Dietary Guidelines is the inclusion of recommendations for physical activity. They encourage combining exercise with good eating habits in managing weight and staying healthy. Incorporating at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity on most--preferably all--days of the week is advised.

Maintain or improve your weight

The Dietary Guidelines continue to provide estimates for healthful weights for adults. Unlike the 1990 guidelines which based these estimates on a comparison of body weight and height, this edition bases recommendations for healthful weight on a calculation called body mass index (BMI). (See "How to calculate your body mass index BMI".) The link between this indirect measure of body fat and relative risk of death provides the recommended limits for weight. The location of body fat is also important. Excess fat in the abdomen is linked to high blood pressure, diabetes, early heart disease and certain types of cancer. For those who are overweight, suggestions are given for the acceptable amount of weight to lose and the rate for losing it. Problems associated with excessive thinness and the complex issues surrounding weight regulation in children are also discussed.

Choose a diet with plenty of grain products, vegetables and fruits

Grains, vegetables and fruits should form the foundation for your diet because they provide excellent sources of vitamins, minerals, complex carbohydrates (starch and dietary fiber) and other substances that are important for lowering the risks of many chronic diseases. Fiber is only found in plant foods and eating a variety of fiber sources is important for bowel function. Fiber may also lower the risk of heart disease and some cancers. Fruits and vegetables are excellent sources of vitamins, minerals and antioxidant nutrients. Most people eat fewer than the recommended number of servings of grains, vegetables and fruit.

Choose a diet low in fat and cholesterol

Whether from plants or animals, fat is a very concentrated source of calories. Experts agree that no more than 30 percent of total calories should come from fat. High levels of dietary saturated fat and cholesterol are linked to increased blood cholesterol levels and heart disease. The number of overweight people has increased and the risk of heart disease and certain cancers linked to fat intake remains high. The guidelines provide a way to calculate the maximum amount of fat you should eat in a day and a list of lower fat, lower saturated fat and lower cholesterol food choices by food group. We, at the ABC, recommend that you have no more than 30 per cent of your calories as fat per day. If you are on an 1800 calorie diet, that would be no more than 540 calories - 60 grams of fat (540 divided by 9 calories/gram of fat) - per day. If you are not actively loosing weight, the fat content of the Food Guide Pyramid is an excellent way to eat healthier. However, sixty grams of fat a day is a little high for weight loss. We recommend not 30 per cent fat but 30 grams of fat - total - per day. Details of this low-fat eating for the purposes of weight loss are elsewhere on this web site.

Choose a diet moderate in sugars

The Dietary Guidelines clearly state that diets high in sugars cause neither hyperactivity nor diabetes. However, the most common form of diabetes occurs in people who are overweight. Foods that contain sugar should be used sparingly by those with low calorie needs. On the other hand, they may be used in moderation by most healthy people.

Choose a diet moderate in salt and sodium

In the body, sodium regulates fluid balance and affects blood pressure. High salt intake is associated with higher blood pressure. The guidelines list practical ways to decrease salt intake.

Moderate drinking

Alcohol is high in calories and may add unwanted weight. And it may be harmful, leading to alcoholism and fetal alcohol syndrome. Yet, moderate alcohol consumption has been associated with a lower risk for coronary heart disease in some individuals. The guidelines define moderate consumption as no more than one drink per day for non-pregnant women and no more than two drinks per day for men. (One drink is: 12 ounces of regular beer, or 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of 80 proof distilled spirits.)

Bottom Line - What does it all mean to you?

The expert panel made an effort to translate current nutrition research into practical dietary advice. The Food Guide Pyramid and the Nutrition Facts Label show how to turn the guidelines into more healthful food choices. And the tables list good sources of key nutrients, recommendations for a more healthful body weight, ways to increase physical activity, and suggestions for decreasing calories, fat, salt, sugar and alcohol intake. Whether you are currently fit and want to remain so, or are not-so-fit and want to be, there is something for everyone in the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

The guidelines are also found on the Internet at http://www.os.dhhs.gov