What Is The Food Pyramid And How To Apply It?
The food pyramid is a graph that details in a simple way what are the foods that we must include in the diet and the adequate amount that we must consume to have a balanced and healthy diet. Although it is quite practical and explains each of the points, it is important to detail its various items.
How to interpret the food pyramid
The amounts of food can vary for each family group, especially the concepts of meat and fruit. However, generally, following the guidelines that will be presented below, the graph will be adequately complied with:
Base of the pyramid: whole grains, tubers and legumes
Over the years, whole grains and flours have been the base of the pyramid, designated as the foods we should consume most often. Within this group, legumes and tubers have taken on importance, according to the Spanish Society of Neuroscience (SENC). You can include, for example, whole oatmeal for breakfast or roast potato for dinner.
The advantage of this class of foods is the amount of insoluble fiber they provide, essential to help prevent digestive and cardiovascular diseases, according to an article published in the journal “Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.”
Second step: fruits and vegetables
Fruits and vegetables are essential in the diet and must be present in at least five servings a day. To make it a little easier to integrate it into the child’s diet, it can be served as a snack or as an accompaniment to breakfast.
The regular consumption of these foods provides a large amount of vitamins and antioxidants, essential in the prevention of complex diseases, according to the journal “Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity.”
Third step: protein sources
Foods such as fish, cheese and dairy, rich in protein, are in the third rung. This means that you can consume two or three servings of dairy a day and one to three servings of meat, fish and eggs.
It is recommended that 50% of the proteins come from the animal kingdom and the other 50% from the vegetable kingdom.
Fourth step: sweets, fried and unhealthy fats
In the fourth step, we find the foods that should be consumed only on very special occasions, such as sweets, fried foods and unhealthy fats.
This is because they can be harmful to the child if their body receives them in excess. If we want to instill a healthy diet at home, they could even be eliminated from the menu without any problem.
Water as a base in some food pyramids
In some graphs of the food pyramid they put water as the base. This must always be integrated into the child’s diet; at least, the little one should consume 4 to 6 glasses a day.
Points to take into account
Among the most important points to highlight regarding the child’s diet, is the need to integrate fundamental liquids, such as water, and the scarce or even non-existent appearance of sweets. Here we present in detail some amounts and foods that parents should consider:
- Water will be essential in the child’s nutrition. This does not mean that you cannot have juices or other beverages; You can do it on special occasions.
- Sweets should not be part of your diet. Parents should bear in mind that, in addition to the fact that candy can alter them, it also increases the risk of tooth decay; if its consumption is excessive, it could be a cause of more serious diseases, such as diabetes.
- Dairy products should not exceed 500 milliliters a day.
- Fruits and vegetables should be integrated into your diet ; five servings a day minimum.
- The salt must be reduced; in excess, like sugar, it could cause various diseases.
- Meat is usually eaten more often than fish, but the opposite is recommended.
- If you are a baby and you are still feeding on breast milk, you should continue with this feeding method at least until you are six months old.
- Cereals, potatoes and legumes are foods that must be integrated into the child’s daily diet.
It is really easy to apply a proper diet and follow the steps that are presented in the food pyramid chart. A correct portion of each of the quantities and foods will ensure that the child is healthy and develops correctly, both physically and mentally.
