How to get all our nutrition using the Food Pyramid as a guide.

How DO we fit all those vitamins and grains into our daily diets?

Is it time to retire the good old government food pyramid? The original pyramid tells us to eat 6 cereals and grains daily, along with 3-5 vegetables, 2-4 fruits, 2 milks, 2 meats (or alternatives), and granting the occasional use of fats, sweets and oils. Most people would answer with a resounding YES! But did you know there was a new guide distributed in 2005, although it is still most common to see the older guide displayed.

     Old guidelines                   new guidelines
If you are looking to eat healthier where can you go to find exactly how and what to eat using these food guides?

With so much information and misinformation out there just how do we know what to eat and when? If we look at both the pyramids it is clear that we need to ensure we have healthy servings of fruits, veggies, a little bit of dairy (or a substitute for those intolerant folks), some nice whole grains, good fats and some lean protein.  We all know we need to ditch the fast foods, the frozen meals and the packet soups for leaner, fresher, more fibrous products if we want to stay healthy and live to a ripe old age. And although healthy eating should not be about weight loss, it can be seen as a nice side benefit, after all no one ever got fat eating their fruits and veggies! As we can see the new guidelines also include physical activity as an important part of our daily regime.Here is a site aimed at helping our teenage kids get their daily nutrition. KidsHealth  Most nutritionists seem to agree that it is important to get your children on track during their formative years, so it could be a great place to start. This particular guide is aimed at teenagers and looks at teaching parents how to provide the necessary energy, from good fats and nutrition, which our growing kids need.  Making a child’s food choices a habit is potentially the key to success. To ensure these good habits stick, parents should also practice healthy eating, leading by example has been shown to be a great way to help your kids make smart choices.

Some choices we can make for our fruits and vegetables:

Do you know that an apple, always regarded as a healthy food, provides 9 of the 16 chemical elements and four of the six most important vitamins required by the human body to function and protect itself against disease? Yes, 9!  An apple a day, really may keep the doctor away. How about bananas: Ripe bananas are an alkaline-forming food containing all 6 of the important vitamins and are especially rich in potassium, and the high sugar level makes them an ideal energy food. 

Beta carotene in carrots (vitamin A) is thought of as an important anti-cancer agent and is said to help fight infections.

If you make a carrot juice, you have a drink high in potassium, sodium, calcium and magnesium, which makes it alkaline in nature. It is considered a digestion stimulant, mild diuretic and liver cleanser, by helping to break down excess fats and cholesterol in the liver.

Tomatoes are said to be good for neutralizing the acid environment in the body, juicing tomatoes is a great source of vitamin A, C and E. Tomato juice is said to be known for stimulating blood circulation, liver cleansing and blood purifying and fighting, of all things, gallstones, gout, rheumatism and even sinus problems. 

What about the grains we are supposed to be eating?  What are “whole” grains anyway? Grains supply a multitude of important nutrients: The carbohydrates give you energy. The brain, heart and nervous system require a constant supply of carbohydrates to keep you breathing and thinking. B vitamins help your body use energy from the food you eat, in addition to supporting good nutrition. Trace minerals, including iron, zinc and copper, are also part of whole grain. They all have different functions that support a healthy body. Choose the enriched products to get folic acid — a beneficial nutrient in reducing the risk for some birth defects and in addition to all those great benefits whole grains supply our favorite supplement: fiber.

Further information can be found at the following website, including more information on the revised government food pyramid:
USDA 
Talk to Dr. Paul or Dr. Susan at Fontana Chiropractic for more information on this topic.  Your chiropractor is well versed in whole health and can help you decide what healthy items should be on your plate every day.

Call Dr. Paul or Dr. Susan at (303) 674 1500 to schedule a consultation or email office@fontanachiro.com

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