How to Eat Right With the Food Guide Pyramid

Whole-grain foods make up the majority of the Food Guide Pyramid's daily recommended servings.

The United States Department of Agriculture provides its Food Guide Pyramid as an essential tool for eating right. The pyramid, a valuable visual aid towards developing healthy eating habits, lays out the five major food groups and recommended serving amounts of each. Using the Food Guide Pyramid--as well as sticking to its guidelines--will help ensure you have a healthy intake of nutrients, calories and fats based on a standard diet.

Things You'll Need

• Food Guide Pyramid
• Printer
• Physician
• Pen and Paper

Instructions

Eating Right with the Food Guide Pyramid

1. Print a copy of the Food Guide Pyramid. If you don't have a printer, you can simply skip the food diagrams and write the food groups down, as well as the recommended servings. Make a shopping list, concentrating on obtaining the proper types and amounts of foods according to the USDA guide.

2. Choose a variety of foods from each group. When you head to the grocery store, bring your shopping list as well as your copy of the Pyramid to refer to as you shop. According to Health.gov, a variety of food choices from each group is important to health, and also to keep your diet interesting--so having the information readily available while you're buying food is essential.

3. Follow the recommended guidelines. According to the USDA's Food Guide Pyramid, for active adults, 2200 calories for women and 2800 for men is the ideal daily intake. Recommended food amounts include 9 to 11 servings of pasta, bread and whole grains, 3 to 5 servings of fruits and vegetables (with preference given to fresh vegetables), 2 or 3 servings of dairy products such as milk and yogurt, and 2 to 3 servings of meat, fish and poultry.

4. Avoid fatty foods, as well as foods high in sugar. The Food Guide Pyramid states that eating right involves delving into the "tip" of the pyramid sparingly. Try replacing sugary desserts like ice cream with frozen fruit, such as bananas or strawberries. "Finger foods" extremely high in fat and sodium, such as french fries and potato chips, can be healthily replaced by snacks such as unsalted pretzels, dried fruit, trail mix or sunflower seeds.

5. Talk to your doctor about your new diet. He will take into account your personal medical history--as well as any potential dietary limitations such as diabetes or heart disease--and help you use the Food Guide Pyramid to its full potential, while keeping you at your personal optimum health.

Tips & Warnings

• Try a plan from MyPyramid.gov, linked in the resource section below, which will take into account your age, sex, height and weight to craft a personalized Food Guide Pyramid plan for you.

• When you purchase foods from any of the five food groups, make sure you're buying fresh foods and watching the expiration dates--and be sure to cook meat thoroughly to avoid bacteria that can cause food poisoning.

References

• Health.gov: Dietary Guidelines

Resources

• MyPyramid.gov: USDA My Pyramid Plan