There are many methods used in the hope of reaching a healthy and beneficial life form, including the food pyramid system, whose health benefits vary, and we are now revealing its components and perhaps some of its disadvantages.
What is the food pyramid?
The food pyramid is defined as that design that was put in place, in order to facilitate the task of humans when choosing the quality and proportions of foods that they can eat throughout the long day.
The design of the first food pyramid was developed in Sweden in 1974, but the most famous food pyramid, also known as the indicative food pyramid, was designed by experts at the United States Department of Agriculture in 1992, before it was modified again in 2005, to appear later on as the best model. Hierarchical or class name.
Components of the food pyramid
The food pyramid designed in 1992 consists of 4 different levels, through which the quantities required for the body are determined from different types of foods.
The first level of the food pyramid, which forms the base of the pyramid, contains carbohydrates, which are whole grains and vegetable oils, such as bread, pasta, and rice.
These are the types that provide the body with energy, so large amounts of them were placed in the pyramid, so that one gets from 6 to 11 servings per day.
The second level of the food pyramid includes fruits and vegetables that are credited with supporting the body with minerals and vitamins, where it is recommended to get between 3 to 5 servings of them, while it should be noted the need to diversify between starchy and leafy vegetables in addition to legumes, noting that the same level It contains fruits, of which it is recommended to eat 2 to 4 servings without adding sugars to it.
In the third level, we find that nutrition experts have put meat, fish, eggs and dairy products in more moderate proportions, as it is advised to get between 2 to 3 servings of them, in order to win appropriate amounts of proteins and calcium in addition to zinc and iron.
As for the fourth and final level of the food pyramid, which forms the top of the pyramid in terms of quantities, it contains fats, sugars and oils, of which it is not recommended to eat only a few due to its negative role in the healthy nutrition of the body.
Benefits of the food pyramid
The nutrition experts who developed the food pyramid believe that its importance lies in determining the quantities of the types of foods that are recommended to be eaten, as there is a difference between the need to eat larger quantities of fruits and vegetables, and the importance of being careful not to eat sugar and fats that were placed in the lowest areas of the food pyramid.
Experts also believe that the food pyramid indicated the need for diversity between different foods and types of foods, as this was explained, for example, when emphasizing the importance of eating leafy vegetables as well as starchy vegetables, while not only eating fruits.
Disadvantages of the food pyramid
There were many defects and negative points that nutritionists pointed out later, after the spread of the aforementioned food pyramid.
Experts emphasized that placing carbohydrates, such as bread, at the base of the food pyramid and in relatively large portions is considered an unforgivable defect, as this crisis alone can cause an alarming increase in obesity rates, if followed for long periods of time.
On the other hand, experts believe that it would have been better for more useful food types such as vegetables and fruits to occupy the base of the pyramid, which is said to have almost happened had it not been for the intervention of a group of large investors in the United States, so that sales of dairy products and carbohydrates would not decline.
Ignoring the natural differences between one person and another, such as the difference in gender, age, and weight, is considered one of the most prominent defects associated with the food pyramid, noting that it did not indicate from near or far the importance of exercising, so it was obvious that the food pyramid should be modified later.
My healthy plate
Perhaps it is the best model so far, which determines the quantities and types of foods to be eaten throughout the day, away from the complexities of the famous food pyramid, while the experts behind its appearance point out the importance of practicing regular movement to improve health.
Vegetables make up the largest portion of the food available on the plate, but not far behind grains, which make up the second largest portion of the healthy food plate.
Vegetables come in third place in terms of quantity in a class system, before we find meat the least in quantity compared to other types of food.
Experts ignored dairy products, since they are less important than the types of food mentioned, and they can be eaten, but on an irregular basis, so as not to negatively affect the health of the body.
In conclusion, the food pyramid may have been beneficial to some when it was issued since the early nineties of the last century, but its noticeable flaws reveal the importance of resorting to more clear systems, foremost of which is the healthy class system.
