Bread is the pillar of life. After solving the problem of food and clothing, people pay more and more attention to the mystery hidden in various foods. In order to get more nutrition from daily diet or change their own health problems, people are increasingly picky and demanding about food, because every penny is very important to us and directly affects human health.

Twenty years ago, the United States Department of Agriculture began to build a daily food pyramid based on American dietary guidelines. At the beginning of this year, a new version of the food pyramid was launched, which corrected some omissions in the past. It is reported that the builders of the pyramids include scientists, nutritionists, staff and consultants. According to the most scientific evidence and the relationship between food and health, experts from Harvard University School of Public Health have established a new pyramid of healthy eating. It fixes the basic loophole in the food pyramid of USDA and puts forward better suggestions on what to eat.

The pyramid of healthy eating is based on daily exercise and weight control, because these two factors are very important for people to stay healthy. They also affect what people eat and how they eat, and how the food people eat affects their health. Looking up from the bottom of the pyramid of healthy eating, it includes:

Whole wheat food (in most diets)

The body needs carbohydrates to provide energy. The best source of carbohydrates is whole wheat, such as oatmeal, coarse bread and brown rice. They contain bran and germ, as well as energy-rich starch. It takes longer for the human body to digest whole wheat than direct carbohydrates such as white bread, which will keep blood sugar and insulin at a reasonable level and will soon drop. Controlling blood sugar and insulin levels can reduce human hunger and prevent the occurrence of type II diabetes.

Vegetable oil. Americans get 1/3 calories from fat every day on average, so it makes sense to put them in the lower part of the pyramid. Note that vegetable oil is specifically mentioned here, not all kinds of fats. Healthy unsaturated fats come from olives, soybeans, corn, sunflowers, peanuts and other vegetable oils, as well as fatty fish such as salmon. These healthy fats can not only improve human cholesterol levels, but also effectively prevent potential sudden cardiac death and myocardial infarction.

Vegetables (in large quantities) and fruits (2-3 times a day).

Eating more fruits and vegetables can effectively prevent heart disease and angina pectoris; Prevent all kinds of cancers; Lowering blood pressure; Relieve intestinal diseases called diverticulitis; Prevention and treatment of cataract and glaucoma, these two eye diseases are the main causes of blindness in the elderly over 65 years old.

Fish, poultry and eggs (0 ~ 2 times a day).

This is the main source of protein. A large number of studies show that eating fish can reduce the risk of heart disease. Muscle and turkey are low in saturated fat, and they are also good sources of protein. Eggs have been demonized for a long time because of its high cholesterol content. In fact, eggs are a good breakfast, much better than doughnuts or flour doughnuts.

Nuts and beans with shells (65438+ 0 to 3 times a day).

Nuts and beans with shells are the best sources of plant protein, plant fiber, vitamins and minerals. Beans with shells include black beans, broad beans, edamame and other dry goods. Many nuts are rich in healthy fat. For example, almonds, walnuts, small walnuts, peanuts, hazelnuts and pine nuts can directly show that food is good for the heart.

Dairy products and calcium replacement (65438+ 0 to 2 times a day).

In order to prevent and treat osteoporosis, calcium and vitamin D are needed, and dairy products are the traditional source of calcium for Americans. Besides foods containing saturated fat, such as milk and cheese, there are other healthy ways to get calcium. For example, three cups of whole milk are equivalent to the saturated fat contained in thirteen cooked bacon. If you like dairy products, stick to skim or low-fat products. If you don't like dairy products, calcium substitute food is the guarantee to ensure the daily calcium demand of human body.

Red meat and cream (use with care):

These foods are placed at the top of the pyramid of healthy eating because they are rich in saturated fat. If you eat red meat every day, such as beef and mutton, trying fish or chicken several times a week can improve your cholesterol level. Similarly, you can switch from cream to olive oil.

Rice, white bread, potatoes, pasta and desserts (with caution):

Why are all these staple foods of Americans placed at the top of the pyramid of healthy eating? Because they can cause blood sugar to rise rapidly, leading to weight gain, diabetes, heart disease and other chronic diseases. Whole-wheat carbohydrates stabilize human blood sugar, at least increase slowly without exceeding the normal level of human body, so that human body can deal with excess blood sugar.

Multivitamins:

Daily multivitamin and mineral supplements are the nutritional reserves of the human body. The food we eat every day sometimes does not provide all the nutrients the human body needs every day. At this time, multivitamins can fill the nutritional gap, even for the most cautious diners. Please choose genuine multivitamins.

Alcohol (moderate amount):

Drinking a little wine every day can reduce the risk of heart disease. Moderate amount is very important. Alcohol is a double-edged sword, which has both disadvantages and advantages. For men, the balance point is to drink 1 2 cups a day, not draft beer cups. For women, one glass a day is enough.

The pyramid of healthy eating summarizes the best dietary information today. It is not a castle in the air, nor is it static. With the development of the times and the deepening and diversification of research, the pyramid of healthy eating will reflect the latest and most important research results with the times.