ALL foods are not created equal. A T-bone steak tastes nothing like a bran muffin, and the two foods do totally different things to your body. If you ate just steaks, three meals a day, you'll be a very unhealthy person (unless you are a wolf-kid). Eating only muffins morning, noon, and night would be almost as bad (unless you are the Muffin Man, who lives on Drury Lane).
The truth is that your body needs a variety foods -- a little bit of this and a little bit of that -- to stay healthy, happy, and strong. In the past, doctors and nutritionists (food experts) divided everything into what they called the Four Food Groups.These were the Bread Group, the Dairy Group, the Fruit and Vegetable Group, and the Meat Group. The idea was that we should choose equally between them, making sure we got a little from each group during the day in order to eat a balanced diet.
Since then, we have learned a lot more about food. The experts saw that it was healthier to choose more breads, fruits, and vegetables, and fewer meats and dairy products. All of these groups are still important, of course, but it's just as important to know how much to eat from each group. These ideas led to the guide we all use today, which is called the Food Pyramid.
The Food Pyramid
The Food Pyramid uses the same basic food groups, but it arranges them in a way that shows which ones we should be eating more of, and which we should eat less of:
The base of the pyramid, the biggest and widest section, is filled with the foods we should get plenty of every day.
As you move up, the sections get smaller, which means that we should eat a little less of these types of foods.
Up at the top, the point of the pyramid, are the foods that we should eat only once in a while.
Let's take a closer look!
The Grains Group
You know it as: Breads, bagels, muffins, cereal, rice, and pasta
What's good about it:
Carbohydrates, which our bodies like to burn as fuel, so they work as a source of quick energy.
Iron, which is good for our blood.
B vitamins, which we need for energy, growth, and our brains.
Thiamin (Vitamin B1), which strengthens the nervous system.
How much you should eat: 9 servings every day
The Vegetable Group
You know it as: Carrots, broccoli, green beans, peas, lettuce, celery, etc.
What's good about it:
Vitamin C helps us absorb iron and is important for healthy teeth and gums.
Vitamin A keeps our skin and hair healthy, and helps with growth and eyesight.
Vitamin B6 also helps us grow and improve our brain function.
Fiber helps food move through our digestive systems, is good for our hearts, and may help prevent heart disease and cancer.
How much you should eat: 4 servings every day
The Fruit Group
You know it as: Apples, oranges, bananas, pineapples, peaches, melons, grapes, etc.
What's good about it:
Vitamin C helps us absorb iron and is important for healthy teeth and gums.
Vitamin A keeps our skin and hair healthy, and helps with growth and eyesight.
Potassium helps us work our muscles.
Fiber helps food move through our digestive systems, is good for our hearts, and may help prevent heart disease and cancer. (Keep in mind that fiber is only in whole fruit, not fruit juice.)
Carbohydrates, which our bodies like to burn as fuel, so they work as a source of quick energy.
How much you should eat: 3 servings every day
The Milk Group
You know it as: Milk, cheeses, yogurt, etc.
What's good about it:
Calcium, which is important for strong teeth and bones.
Protein helps us grow and repair body tissues when they need it.
Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) is good for energy and body tissue growth.
Potassium helps us work our muscles.
Vitamin D helps build strong bones (this vitamin is added to some milk, but isn't found in all dairy foods).
How much you should eat: 3 servings every day
The Meat and Beans Group
You know it as: Red meat, poultry, fish, eggs, nuts, and dry beans
What's good about it:
Protein helps us grow and repair body tissues when they need it.
Iron is good for your blood.
Niacin (Vitamin B3) helps convert food to energy.
Vitamin B6 helps us grow and improve our brain function.
Vitamin B12 helps make red blood cells.
Zinc is good for growth and bones, eyes, skin, hair, and nails.
How much you should eat: 2 or 3 servings every day
Fats, Oils and Sweets
You know them as: Salad dressings and oils, cream, butter, margarine, sugars, soft drinks, jams and jellies, candies, and sweet desserts.
What's good about them:
Not much! Fats and natural sugars are good for us in small amounts, but the truth is that our bodies get enough of them in all the other foods we eat. Too much of this stuff is what can make us overweight and develop health problems, so that's why it's at the top of the pyramid, reminding us to eat very little of it. If we do eat foods from this group, we should be choosing the lower-fat ones whenever we can.
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