mypyramid

Hey everyone, I wanted to post about mypyramid.gov, which has been very helpful to me in eating healthy. The food guide pyramid was revamped a while ago, and now instead of telling people to get a range of servings from each group, their website personalizes each food group to your personal needs based on weight, height, age, and level of activity.

Serving size measurements have also changed. Grains (half of your grains should be whole) and protein are measured in ounces, fruits, vegetables, and milk in cups, and fats and oils in teaspoons. Discretionary calories (“extras” – salad dressing, sauces, sugars, or extra food from other food groups) are personalized, and at least 30 minutes of exercise is recommended daily.

I like using mypyramid it has really helped me make healthy choices. We plan our meals so we get as close to our nutritional needs as possible. I also like using it because it has made me more aware of how much I eat. I measure out foods (I alternate between measuring and eyeballing food so I don’t start to slip and start giving myself larger portions.) and it really helps me to know just how much I’m eating.

Let me show you a sample day:

Breakfast
1 cup oatmeal (2 ounces WHOLE grains)
1 cup milk (1 cup milk)
1/3 cup craisins (dried fruit – it counts as 1 cup fruit, plus maybe 50 discretionary calories because dried cranberries are sweetened)
handful of walnuts (1 ounce meat and beans)

Lunch
1 fairly large apple (1 cup)
1 piece of wheat bread with about 2 tablespoons of peanut butter (1 ounce WHOLE grain, 2 ounces meat and beans)
2 fairly large, whole carrots (1 cup)
6 ounce container of light yogurt (.75 cups milk, plus about 50 discretionary calories because yogurt, except plain, has sweetener in it)

Dinner
1 cup Brown rice (2 ounces WHOLE grains)
1.5 cups stir fry vegetables (1.5 cups vegetables)
½ cup light red kidney beans thrown in stir fry (2 ounces meat and beans, ½ cup vegetables (beans are also in the vegetable group))
2 tbsp stir fry sauce (some discretionary calories, plus maybe in the oils category as well)

Dessert:
1 cup milk with 1 tbsp Nestle Quick (1 cup milk, some discretionary calories)

Total:
Grains: 5 – all WHOLE Goal was 7
Veggies: 3 Goal was 3
Fruit: 2 Goal was 2
Milk: 2.75 Goal was 3
Meat and Beans:5 Goal was 6
Oils: few teaspoons
Discretionary calories: maybe around 200-250?...about 300 is my daily limit.

If any of you are trying to lose weight or just start eating healthier, I definitely recommend mypyramid. It gets a thumbs up from me. The website recommends that if you are trying to lose weight you just decrease your goal numbers in some of the food groups and decrease your discretionary calories limit. It takes a while to learn how the measurements work, but mypyramid.gov gives lots of measurement tricks, like the common one for meat: a piece of meat that is about the size of a deck of cards is 3 ounces.

So if you can find the willpower to pay attention to what you eat, this is so helpful in making sure you are eating healthily. It keeps me on track. I have lost 4 pounds in two weeks by using mypyramid. Parties, holidays, and weekends aren’t disastrous for me anymore, because I have a plan of what and how much I need to eat. They become opportunities to fulfill my nutritional goals for the day.

So try it if you think it sounds helpful. Just keep on a goin!
Cassidy