Healthy Eating Pyramid

Posted on June 25, 2008

This is the Healthy Eating Pyramid1 (sorry it’s not a great scan). It was put together by Dr. Walter Willett, a professor at Harvard Medical School and a researcher in the fields of nutrition and health. He put this together because he felt the USDA’s food guide pyramid was flawed. Here are my favorite parts of this pyramid:

  • The bottom level is daily exercise and getting to/staying at a healthy weight. Exercise plays a huge role in our health -whether it is daily exercise leading to better health or a lack of exercise leading to poor health.
  • Notice how white rice, white bread, potatoes, etc. are at the top. Those things can be replaced with whole grain foods such as brown rice, whole-wheat breads and pastas.
  • Vegetables in abundance. Fruits 2-3 times everyday. That’s good stuff.
  • Easy on the red meat. Get protein from other sources. Chicken, beans, fish, etc. will give you good protein without as much saturated fat and cholesterol.

This pyramid provides a good daily guide on what we should be eating for optimal health. For more information check out the Harvard School of Public Health’s page on the Healthy Eating Pyramid here.

  1. Walter C. Willett, Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy: The Harvard Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2001), 17. [↩]

Other Posts You Might Like:

 Subscribe

Don't forget to shop for gear at LittleTriathlete

» Filed Under Exercise, Nutrition, Prevention

Comments

  • http://homegymequipmentguide.com/ Mike Migal

    Thanks for posting this health pyramid onto the web. It’s not that clear but I can get the idea so that is great. Do you know what year it is from?

    I’m surprised to see that they have included alcohol on this. I thought most health officials don’t usually include that in their actual guides but I know many talk about it.

    Mike Migal’s last blog post..Home Gym Equipment – Saving Money

  • http://mycoloncleansereviews.com/product-reviews/review-total-cleanse-advanced-internal-cleansing-formula/ Jason – Total Cleanse Review

    I hate that red meat gets lumped in at the top with “butter”…

    It’s just too delicious!

    Jason – Total Cleanse Review´s last blog post..Review: Total Cleanse Advanced Internal Cleansing Formula

  • http://www.dp-db.com/healthy-urban-kitchen Antonio Valladares

    Thanks for the info on the food pyramid. I’d not seen one that actually included daily exercise, alcohol, or vitamins. Interesting. It’s also a first for me to see butter and red meat listed together.

  • http://www.flickr.com/photos/yonaturals YoNaturals

    When used moderately, alcohol can indeed be a source of pleasure. The Bible acknowledges that wine can make the heart merry or can enhance the taste of a meal. (Ecclesiastes 9:7)

  • http://www.heartratemonitorx.com Heart Rate Monitor

    to YoNaturals:

    I am actually more under the impression that alcohol is a poison that is ingested into the body. That feeling you feel when drinking is a reaction to the poison, slowing motor skills, speech, etc. Even if the bible does state it…

    to the author:
    Great graphic and narration. Depending of your fitness goals red meat may need to be more of your diet. Red meat has alot of protein that is needed for muscle building.

  • http://www.121carhirefrance.co.uk/454.html marseille airport car hire

    I think I was in need of the information posted here. The concept of food pyramid is good. Alcohol can never do any good to anybody.

  • http://www.posturecheck.com Robert Simmons

    A balanced diet is the key to health. Godd information here!
    charlotte chiropractor

  • http://ezinearticles.com/?Air-Climber-Reviews---Find-Out-If-the-Air-Climber-is-Right-For-You&id=4238517 Air Climber

    I know that I dont follow the pyramid enough. I should

  • http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/LUNNKMP6WW3K2MJ4ZYJUHTQU2Y athikities supabiola

    Out of the many protein sources out there, hemp protein is the ultimate. It comes from nutrition. Go to http://www.hempproteinguide.net/ for great information.

  • http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/LUNNKMP6WW3K2MJ4ZYJUHTQU2Y athikities supabiola

    Out of the many protein sources out there, hemp protein is the ultimate. It comes from nutrition. Go to http://www.hempproteinguide.net/ for great information.n