Healthy eating pyramid

The Healthy Eating Pyramid, from the Harvard School of Public Health

The healthy eating pyramid is a nutrition guide developed by the Harvard School of Public Health, suggesting quantities of each food category that a human should eat each day. The healthy eating pyramid is intended to provide a superior eating guide than the widespread food guide pyramid created by the USDA.

The new pyramid aims to include more recent research in dietary health not present in the USDA's 1992 guide. The original USDA pyramid has been criticized for not differentiating between refined grains and whole grains, between saturated fats and unsaturated fats, and for not placing enough emphasis on exercise and weight control. It also was developed by the Department of Agriculture, not the Department of Health and Human Services.

Food groups

In general terms, the healthy eating pyramid recommends the following intake of different food groups each day, although exact amounts of calorie intake depends on sex, age, and lifestyle:

• At most meals, whole grain foods including oatmeal, whole-wheat bread, and brown rice; 1 piece or 4 ounces (110 g).
• Plant oils, including olive oil, canola oil, soybean oil, corn oil, and sunflower seed oil; 2 ounces (60 g) per day
• Vegetables, in abundance 3 or more each day; each serving = 6 ounces (170 g).
• 2–3 servings of fruits; each serving = 1 piece of fruit or 4 ounces (110 g).
• 1–3 servings of nuts, or legumes; each serving = 2 ounces (60 g).
• 1–2 servings of dairy or calcium supplement; each serving = 8 ounces (230 g) non fat or 4 ounces (110 g) of whole.
• 1–2 servings of poultry, fish, or eggs; each serving = 4 ounces (110 g) or 1 egg.
• Sparing use of white rice, white bread, potatoes, pasta and sweets;
• Sparing use of red meat and butter.

See also

• Dietary supplement
• Dieting
• List of diets
• Essential nutrient
• Food
• Functional food
• Healthy eating
• Food guide pyramid
• Nutrition
• Orthorexia nervosa (an obsession with healthy eating)
• Health food restaurants

References

• Willett, Walter (2005). Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy: The Harvard Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating. Free Press. ISBN 0-7432-6642-0. 
• "The Nutrition Source". Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health. Retrieved 6 February 2013. 

External links

• "Food Pyramids and Plates: What Should You Really Eat?". Harvard School of Public Health. Retrieved 6 February 2013.  Shows the differences between the Healthy Eating Pyramid and the USDA pyramid
• Is the Food Pyramid Obsolete? npr.org, Nov 21 2002.
• The Way We Eat Now Harvard Magazine, May-June 2004.