Weight Loss: A Myriad of Pyramids

In the early and middle 20th Century, children were taught in school about The Four Food Groups essential to a healthy life. By 1956, the US Department of Agriculture had divided food into The Four Basic Food Groups that they recommended for health:

1. Meat (beef and pork), poultry, fish, dry beans and peas, eggs, and nuts
2. Dairy Products: milk, cheese, ice cream, and yogurt
3. Grains, including cereals and bread
4. Fruits and Vegetables

CHANGES

In 1992, the United States Department of Agriculture released its revision of the food groups in a Food Pyramid seen at right. However, this matrix of food recommendations was not quite accurate. In fact, a client of mine whose father was a cattle rancher said, "Yeah, that's what we use to fatten up Beef cattle." Unfortunately, one phenomenon that marred the accuracy of the 1992 Food Pyramid is that users were eating the maximum number of daily servings allowed in the "bread/cereal" level - 11 servings a day. Beef cattle on the ranch ate an equivalent in corn to fatten them up and people were fattening up as well.

The USDA Food Pryamid was adjusted for better health and weight maintenance, while other health organizations developed their own pyramidal food guides.

ADJUSTMENTS

In the spring of 1992, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine publilshed its own guide for healthy eating and weight maintenance without any meat whatsoever, naming it the New Four Food Groups. The groups included:

1. Whole Grain - Bread, pasta, cereal, rice, corn, etc. All of these contained fiber, complex carbohydrates, vitamins, and protein.
2. Vegetables - Broccoli, carrots, lettuce and other greens, cabbage, potatoes, and cauliflower.
3. Fruit - Apples, bananas, peaches, pears, and oranges, and "exotic" fruits.
4. Legumes- Beans, peas, lentils, soy, tofu, and tempeh. These provides many nutrients in addition to protein.

In the 2010s, the Mayo Clinic offers an entire set of Healthy Eating Pyramids at their website in the link below These diagrams indicate the best diets to follow for the Asian, Latin, Mediterranean, and Vegetarian cultures or lifestyles, as well as a generalized Healthy Weight Pyramid. At the same time, other associations have devised food pyramids specifically for diabetics, Native Americans, African Americans, and other groups. Consult your healthcare provider for help in deterimining which pyramid might be right to help you reach your desired healthy weight.

The Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid contains food groups in daily calorie or serving allotments along these lines:

Sweets: < 75 c./day

Fats: 3 to 5 daily servings

Protein/Dairy: 3 - 7 daily servings

Carbohydrates - 4 to 8 daily servings

A Minimum of 3 Fruits and 4 Vegetables every day

A Weight Loss Pyramid

A "weight loss pyramid" developed by an individual artist is produced below. The bottom layer in this pyramid is the one recommended to fill most of the daily nutritional supply, largely in the first category within the layer: Vegetables.

Consult with your healthcare advisor before undertaking any diet.

The Harvard pyramid for weight loss, weight maintenance, and overall health is markedly different from all the other food pyramid guides available. The image of the diagram can be seen at the link to the right. Its specific contents are according to these dimensions:

.

RARELY:

Meats, fats, oils, 

sugar,salt, refined grains,

white rice, pasta,potatoes. 

ALCOHOL: 1 drink daily for some people

DAIRY PRODUCTS: 1 or 2 servings only, daily or 

take Vitamin D and Calcium supplements every day.

Nuts, Seeds, Beans Tofu, Fish, Fish Poultry, Eggs.

Vegetables & Fruits /Healthy Oils & Fats/Whole Grains.  

D-A-I-L-Y--E-X-E-R-C-I-S-E--for--W-E-I-G-H-T--C-O-N-T-R-O-L.

.

No number of daily servings is provided for the bottom two pyramid levels before the bottom level, Exercise. Pyramid users are advised to include a greater number of portions in the daily diet from the bottom of the pyramid than form the middle and top sections and to eat a variety of different food.

A Native American Food Pyramid was developed by the USDA and recommends additional servings of fruits and vegetables over the standard food guide, up to a total of 9 combined servings every day. The 6-11 daily servings of grains is still present however and dairy products are encouraged, even though Native Americans can be subject to lactose inoterance.

Canada offers pyramid food guides for Candians in general and specifically for its First Nations, Inutits and Metis (mixed heritage) at Eating Well With Canada's Food Guide. General population guidlines include the recommendation for 1 green and 1 orange vegetable daily, along with 2 cups of milk or soy beverage and several glasses of water daily. 2 servings of fish weekly and meat alternatives while limiting red meat, and whole grains overall without a serving recommendation. First Nations recommendations allow 3 daily servings of meat, fish, or alternatives like eggs and beans. A helpful guide to physical activity and more rigorous exercise is also available on this Cadnadian site.

A Food Pyramid for Signapore is available at Healthy Diet Pyramid. Oils, fats, sugar, and salt are the smallesrt requirement at the top, followed by 3 servings daily of meat, meat substitutes or dairy; followed by 2 servings each daily of fruits and vegetables; then 5-7 daily sefvings of rice and grains.

Japan sees healthy eating for weight control and maintenace as a Spinning Top at Japanese Food Guide. Physical activity and water intake are the largest required "food group" in Japan, seen at the uppermost level of the spinning top. Then, in decreasing priorities, follow the levels for Grains, Vegetables, Fish and Meat, and Milk and Fruits.

This food guide is slightly different from the current USDA food guide pyramid for use by the general population of America. Servings per day per food group for the diabetic version are calculated in consideration of carbohydrate and protein content. This special food pyramid can be found with the National Diabetes Association's description, explanations, and tips for best use at the ADA Diabetes Food Pyramid pages.