A Food Pyramid is a visual image illustrating how a healthy diet should be put together. The USDA developed the original pyramid. Since then there has been variations such as the Mediterranean, Asian and Latin. Even though they have different names they really advocate the same thing. A healthy diet is a healthy diet no matter who you are.

The bottom of the pyramid represents the most important aspect of your new lifestyle and the largest percentage of what you consume/do. Notice that DAILY PHYSICAL ACTIVITY is at the bottom and sweets and red meat are at the top.

I am going to teach you the basics of the lifestyle plan first. Following this common and healthy dietary plan will put you 90% there. Later we will make some small changes to fine-tune the plan.

FIRST - determine your calorie level. A good place to do this is with the body composition calculator. This calculator will help you determine your ideal weight goal and how long it will take you to get there based upon the number of calories you are willing to consume and your new activity level.

SECOND - Determine your new dietary calorie level (about 500 to 1000 calories lower than your current TEE as calculated on the body composition calculator, but not less than 1,000 total calories per day) if you are trying to lose weight or use your estimated TEE from the calculator to maintain your current weight.

THIRD - use the tables below to determine your dietary pattern based upon your calorie level.

The nutrient and energy contributions for each group are calculated from the nutrient-dense forms of food in each group (e.g. lean meats and fat-free milk).

source: United States Department of Agriculture

NOTE: try to get at least five servings of fruits and vegetables every day no matter what calorie level you are at. The tables do not go up to five servings below 2,200 calories. Use your free calories to add more fruits and vegetables. If you still are not at 5 servings you can add low calorie servings of vegetables such as salad.

The vegetable group includes all fresh, frozen, canned, and dried vegetables and vegetable juices. In general, 1 cup of raw or cooked vegetables or vegetable juice, or 2 cups of raw leafy greens can be considered as 1 cup from the vegetable group.

The vegetables are further divided into subgroups. Vegetables have different types and amounts of protective chemicals. The best way to be sure you get enough of these wonderful nutrients is with variety. For example, if you are on a 1,600 calorie diet then you should have 2 cups of vegetables every day or 14 cups each week. By following the recommendations below you will get 14 cups of vegetalbes throughout the week with appropriate proportions of each type.

To learn more about which vegetables are in each subgroup and the right amount to make up a 1 cup serving, click here.

Now, lets learn what makes a serving of each food group.

1. Fruits - serving size and tips
2. Vegetables - serving size and tips
3. Grains - serving size and tips
4. Meat and beans - serving size and tips
5. Milk - serving size and tips
6. Oils - serving size and tips
7. Discretionary Calories - explained and common sizes.

Fiber
Fats
Carbohydrate
Proteins
Diet Plan

Starting the lifestyle
Fruit
Vegetables
Grains
Meats & Beans
Dairy
Nuts & oils
Discretionary calories

Menu's