1. The Food Guide Pyramid Variety Balance Moderation
Remember the four food groups that most of us grew up with?
In 1992, the four food group meal planning tool was replaced with the Food Guide Pyramid.
It is a graphical representation of the Dietary Guidelines that outlines what to eat each day while conveying three main messages: variety, balance, and moderation. It’s not a rigid prescription but a general guide that lets you choose a healthful diet that’s right for you.
June 2002

2. Food Guide Pyramid Concept: VARIETY
No one food supplies all the nutrients we need to function our best.
Eat foods from all groups.
Choose different foods from within each group.
No one food supplies all the nutrients the body needs to function at its best.
It is important to eat foods from all the five food groups of the Pyramid.
Also, it is important to eat a variety of foods within each food group while keeping in mind that foods eaten from the lower groups should be eaten in the largest quantity and variety.
June 2002

3. Food Guide Pyramid Concept: BALANCE
Eat appropriate amounts of different foods.
Serving size is important.
Older children and adolescents should be getting from the mid to high range of the recommended number of servings.
Variety is the first step toward eating healthy. But to ensure a balanced diet it is important that one considers the number and size of servings for the foods within each of the food groups.
As you can see, there is a range of servings for each of the major food groups. The number of servings one should eat is dependent on how many calories he/she needs, which in turn depends on ones age, sex, size, and how active they are.
June 2002

4. Calorie Levels Sedentary Women = 1600 Most Children = 2200
Teenage Girls
Active Women
Sedentary Men
Teenage Boys = 2800
Active Men
A rough way to estimate calorie needs is to use the three descriptions related to each caloric level.
These calorie categories are used in the Food Guide Pyramid as well as on the Food Facts Label.
So we will use these values to compare the number of portions recommended for each food group during the remainder of the presentation.
Please take out your worksheets again. Go to number 4 and in the table write down the calorie level that you think best describes you and your activity level.
June 2002

5. How Many Servings Do You Need Each Day?
Bread, Cereal, Rice,
and Pasta Group (Grains Group)—
especially whole grain
Vegetable Group
Fruit Group
Milk, Yogurt, and
Cheese Group
(Milk Group)—preferably fat free or low fat 2 or 3* 2 or 3* 2 or 3*
Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans,
Eggs, and Nuts Group
(Meat and Beans Group)—
preferably lean or low fat
total of total of total of
5 ounces 6 ounces 7 ounces
Adapted from U.S. Department of Agriculture, Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion. The Food Guide Pyramid, Home and Garden Bulletin Number 252, 1996.
The Dietary Guidelines emphasize Variety within each food group as well as eating a variety of foods representing all of the food groups. No single food can supply all the nutrients in the amounts you need. For example, oranges provide vitamin C and folate but no vitamin B12; cheese provides calcium and vitamin B12; but no vitamin C.
The Food Guide Pyramid is a starting point for determining how to obtain the nutrients an individual needs in one day. Eating foods from each of the food groups in the number of portions and portion sizes recommended is the key. (As depicted in this slide.)
If you avoid all foods from any of the five food groups (for example someone that follows a Vegan diet), seek guidance to help ensure that you get all the nutrients you need.
Lets check the number of servings recommended for your caloric intake.
Turn back to your worksheet again and in the same table that you wrote your caloric needs, write down the number of servings for each food group recommended for your caloric level. (Ask the group to give the recommended number of servings of Fruit and of Breads and Grains for an intake of 2200 calories from the table.)
June 2002

6. Food Guide Pyramid Concept: MODERATION
No one food should be chosen as the only component in a varied diet.
The tip of the pyramid…
Fat, cholesterol, sodium and sugars…Take it Easy!
A moderate diet helps you maintain a healthy weight while controlling the amount of nutrients fat, cholesterol, sodium, and sugar that when consumed in large amounts have been shown to contribute to health problems such as heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and some cancers.
It is not necessary to cut these nutrients out entirely--just choose them in moderate amounts and don't let them crowd out foods from all the food groups you need for good health.
Now that we have covered the basic concepts of the Food Guide Pyramid, lets take a closer look at each of the groups (what’s inside the pyramid) within the Pyramid.
June 2002

7. Bread, Cereal, Rice, and Pasta Group
Provide vitamins, minerals, carbohydrate (including fiber).
Naturally low in fat.
Older children and teens should aim for 9 servings from grains.
At the base of the Food Guide Pyramid are breads, cereals, rice, and pasta group-- all foods made from grains.
As I mentioned earlier,this group is thought of as the foundation of the diet as foods from this group provide complex carbohydrates, which is the body’s major source of energy.
Being plant sources of food, most of the foods in this group are low in fat and cholesterol unless fat is added in processing, in preparation, or at the table.
Remember, it is not bread, pasta, or rice that supplies fat, but instead what you serve it with or put on them or how they are prepared.
Besides being a good source of complex carbohydrates, foods from this group also are a good source of vitamins, minerals, and fiber especially if they are enriched or whole grain.
June 2002

8. Recommended Daily Servings of Breads, Cereals, Rice, and Pasta
Calories
Servings
Note: Include 4 or more servings that are whole grain.
The serving range of 6-11 portions per day may seem like a lot. But servings can easily add up.
For example, lets take a look a breakfast cereal. I need a volunteer to come up and pour into this cereal bowl the amount of cereal that would typically eat for breakfast.
[Note to Presenter: After the volunteer has poured the amount of cereal that is a typical serving for him/her compare this with a serving of cereal based on the Food Guide Pyramid’s definition.]
June 2002

9. One Bread, Cereals, Rice, and Pasta Serving Equals:
1 slice bread
1 tortilla
1/2 cup rice, pasta, cooked cereal
1 oz. dry cereal
1 small roll or muffin
Self-Assessment
Now we have an idea of how to estimate serving sizes, however, serving size varies with the type of food. Basically serving sizes within a food group means that the calories and nutrients are similar for a serving of one product compared to another.
For the Bread, Cereal, Rice, and Pasta Group (Grains Group)—whole grain and refined, one serving is:
* 1 slice of bread
* About 1 cup of ready-to-eat cereal
* 1/2 cup of cooked cereal, rice, or pasta
Lets do a quick self-check on our bread and grain intake. Think back to everything that you ate from the time you got up yesterday to the time you went to sleep last night. Based on the serving sizes listed on this slide, about how many servings of breads, grains, and cereals did you have? Please write that amount on your worksheet.
June 2002

10. A Closer Look at Fat Content
The fat content of food can increase with various methods of food preparation. This is where the nutrient value may stay the same for one serving, however the calories, fat, sugar, and sodium content of one serving can soar!
For example having a croissant for breakfast versus a whole grain bagel can change the calories and fat per serving.
The bagel has 180 calories and 1 gram of fat.
The croissant has 235 calories and 12 grams of fat.
Just a quick note, a serving for the croissant and bagel is one half a whole item.
June 2002

11. Vegetable Group Eat a variety of “types” of vegetables.
Good sources of carbohydrates and fiber.
Unless added, low in fat and sodium.
Key source of phytochemicals.
Variety is key!
Let’s move up the pyramid to fruits and vegetables. Eating five or more servings of fruits and vegetables each day is one of the most important things one can do for their health.
Why are they so important?
Vegetables and fruits are packed full of vitamins and minerals. Like I mentioned earlier, vitamins and minerals do not supply energy directly but, they do help carbohydrates, fat, and protein produce energy.
Vegetables contribute minerals and vitamins to the diet. Fruits contribute mainly vitamins.
Additionally, they play many other roles in the body that may help lower the risks of some cancers, heart disease, and other health problems.
Juices are ok, but should not be substituted often--juices contain little or no fiber.
[Hands-on Activity: Making Healthy Fruit and Vegetable Choices. See activity in Supplemental Handouts.]
June 2002

12. Recommended Daily Servings of Vegetables
Calories
Servings
For the vegetable group the recommended number of servings for 1600, 2200, and 2800 calories is 3, 4, and 5 respectively.
Different types of vegetables provide different nutrients.
Eat a variety.
*Include dark-green leafy vegetables and legumes several times a week--they are especially good sources of vitamins and minerals. Legumes also provide protein and can be used in place of meat.
*Go easy on the fat you add to vegetables at the table or during cooking. Added spreads or toppings, such as butter, mayonnaise, and salad dressing, count as fat.
June 2002

13. One Serving of Vegetables Equals:
1/2 cup of cooked vegetables
3/4 cup of juice
1 cup raw vegetables or salad greens
Eating from 3 to 5 servings of vegetables may seem easy, however most children and adults do not meet this recommendation.
To get the health benefits of this nutrient rich group try serving vegetables in new ways:
raw vegetables with a low- or reduced-fat dip
vegetables stir-fried in a small amount of vegetable oil
vegetables mixed with other foods in salads, casseroles, soups, sauces (for example, add shredded vegetables when making meatloaf)
If you buy prepared vegetables, check the Nutrition Facts Label to find choices that are low in saturated fat and sodium.
The serving sizes for this group are 6 ounces of juice, 1/2 cup of cooked vegetables and one cup of uncooked leafy vegetables.
June 2002