Healthy Eating Pyramid

Introduction

The Healthy Eating Pyramid is a dim-witted ocular guide to the types and proportion of foods that we should eat every day for good health .
It contains the five core food groups, plus goodly fats, according to how much they contribute to a balanced diet based on the australian Dietary Guidelines ( 2013 ) .
The layers of the Pyramid are based on the recommended food intake for 19–50 year-olds according to the australian Dietary Guidelines ( 2013 ). however, the proportions and placement of each food group are broadly applicable to all age groups from 1–70 years .

The Healthy Eating Pyramid encourages Australians to enjoy a variety of foods from every food group, every day.

The layers of the Healthy Eating Pyramid

The initiation layers
The basis layers include the three plant-based food groups :

• vegetables and legumes
• fruits
• grains

These layers make up the largest helping of the Pyramid because plant foods should make up the largest assign of our diet – around 70 % of what we eat !
Plant foods contain a wide variety of nutrients like vitamins, minerals, phytpchemicals and antioxidants. They are besides the chief source of carbohydrates and fiber in our diet .
Older children, teens and adults should aim to have at least 2 serves of fruit and 5 serves of vegetables or legumes each day .
From the grains food group, choose by and large wholegrains ( such as brown rice, oats and barley ), and wholemeal/wholegrain/high cereal/fibre varieties of bread, pasta, crisp breads and cereal foods ( over highly processed, refined varieties ) .

Remember:

• The Healthy Eating Pyramid is a simple visual guide to the types and proportion of foods that we should eat every day for good health.
• The foundation layers make up the largest portion of the Pyramid because plant foods should make up the largest portion of our diet.
• Choose mostly wholegrains over highly processed, refined varieties.

Creamy chicken laksa recipe
Hit three of the four layers with this piquant dinner – vegetables, grains and fats. Who doesn ’ metric ton love a classic chicken laksa ?

The middle layer

The middle layer includes the milk, yogurt, tall mallow & alternatives and the lean meat, domestic fowl, fish, eggs, nuts, seeds, legumes food groups .

Foods in the milk, yogurt, cheese & alternatives group primarily provide us with calcium and protein, plus other vitamins and minerals. This food group besides refers to non-dairy options such as soy, rice or cereal milks which have at least 100mg per 100ml of add calcium .
Foods in the lean kernel, domestic fowl, fish, eggs, nuts, seeds, legumes section are our independent sources of protein. But each food besides provides a alone mix of nutrients, including tincture of iodine, cast-iron, zinc, B12 vitamins and healthy fats. We should aim to have a variety of animal and plant-based options from this food group .

The top layer

The top layer refers to goodly fats. We need small amounts of healthy fats every day to support center health and brain serve. We should choose foods that contain healthy fats rather of foods that contain saturate fats and trans fats.

Choose unrefined polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats from plant sources, such as extra virgo olive oil, crackpot and seed oils. Limit the sum of saturated fatten you consume and avoid trans fats .
We besides get goodly fats from foods in the early food groups, such as avocados, nuts, seeds and fish, so we only need a little sting excess from oils and spreads each day .

Remember:

• Foods in the milk, yoghurt, cheese & alternatives group primarily provide us with calcium and protein, plus other vitamins and minerals.
• Foods in the lean meat, poultry, fish, eggs, nuts, seeds, legumes section are our main sources of protein.
• We need small amounts of healthy fats every day to support heart health and brain function.
• Choose unrefined polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats from plant sources, such as extra virgin olive oil, nut and seed oils.

Basil and lemon dip recipe
pair this herby-lemony dip with some vegetable sticks for a agile bite, and tick off the foundation layer .

Additional messages

Enjoy herbs and spices

Herbs and spices provide a fantastic rate of flavours and olfactory property to our food. many herbs and spices have health-promoting properties, but since we tend to eat them in smaller amounts their primary determination is to flavour and colour our meals .
Cooking with fresh, dried or land herbs and spices is an slowly way to create foods that suit your tastes and increase your enjoyment of home-made meals without needing to use salt when cook or corrode .

Choose water

Water is the best drink in to stay hydrated and it supports many other substantive functions in the body. choose water as your main swallow, and avoid sugary options such as soft drinks, sports drinks and department of energy drinks .

Limit added salt and sugar

The Healthy Eating Pyramid reminds us to limit our consumption of add salt and carbohydrate. The average australian already consumes excessively much salt and added carbohydrate, which is linked to increased gamble of diseases, such as center disease, type 2 diabetes and some cancers .
Cooking your own meals at home plate and choosing hale foods or minimally processed foods will besides help to limit how much strategic arms limitation talks and added boodle we consume .

Salt (sodium)

sodium is found in salt and is naturally occurring in some foods. While we do need little amounts of sodium for good health, excessively much salt is linked to increased gamble of gamey blood coerce, which can increase your risk of cardiovascular ( heart ) and kidney disease .
Avoid adding salt to food when cook and eat and read labels to choose foods that have less than 120mg of sodium per 100g .

Sugar

Consuming a batch of add sugars, specially from foods like lollies, chocolate, cakes, biscuits, desserts and piano drink, can add extra kilojoules to your diet. This can lead to weight gain and increase your hazard of developing type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and some cancers. besides much sugar can besides cause dental cavities.

Most fruits, vegetables, legumes and unsweetened dairy foods contain modest amounts of naturally occurring sugars which are not harmful. Choose fresh or minimally processed varieties of these foods and check the ingredients on all packaged foods and drinks to see if sugar has been added .

Remember:

• Many herbs and spices have health-promoting properties.
• Water is the best drink to stay hydrated and it supports many other essential functions in the body.
• Cooking your own meals at home and choosing minimally processed foods will help limit added salt and sugar.