Nutrition:
In our Daily Lives
New Food Pyramid
Nutrition as it applies to our daily lives means that
we take in what we need to maintain our body’s
healthy state. Nutrition has become an important word
thanks to the involvement of the USDA in our daily food
requirements, and the FDA’s involvement in determining
what is and is not dangerous for us to consume.
Guide to the new pyramid
We feel the new pyramid offers steps in a
healthier direction, but we have added our own
recommendations.
Physical activity is a new element in the symbol. And it emphasizes
weight control.
The average person needs an hour of physical
exercise, six to eleven servings of grains, two to four
servings of fruit, three to five servings of vegetables,
two to three servings of meat, two to three servings
of milk, and enough water to make it all work.
Healthier choices
Always try to go as
natural and organic as possible.
- Choose lean, free
range and grain fed meats and poultry. It is healthier
to bake, broil or grill meats and poultry. For more
variety in your protein meals, you can eat more fish,
beans, nuts and seeds.
- Limit sugar filled
sweets. Choose brown rice, whole grain breads and
pastas
- Choose low-fat or fat
free organic milk, yogurt and other milk products. If
you have a problem with milk, try lactose-free milk or
soy substitutes.
- Choose organically
grown fruits and vegetables by keeping in mind the
most
contaminated with
pesticides.
Choose organic for fruits
and vegetables on the most contaminated list. Eat a wide variety of fruits
and vegetables. Eat more darker darker green and
orange colors. Limit fruit juices.
- Choose whole grain
breads, cereals, crackers and pastas. Eat brown rice
The guidelines found on the general chart of the pyramid
are as listed above, and this could be the formula for
an eighty year old man, or a fifteen year old girl.
The recommended daily calorie intake is just as vague
and generalized as the daily food intake pyramid. Can
you see how this might not work for either one? When
a guideline published is this general, it is up to the
individual to determine what food regimen will keep
them at their healthiest, provide the caloric intake
necessary, but not excessive.
But what is our responsibility in the nutrition game?
Do we understand what our nutritional requirements are,
how to fulfill those requirements, and how to look for
real nutritional value in our foods? I’m not sure
that nutrition has been successfully addressed in its
own right. We hear nutrition in relation to our vitamin
intake, our fortified cereals and milk, and in the context
that we need “nutritional value” from our
food choices. But what really is nutrition when applied
to our daily bodily functions?
Nutrition refers to the nurturing of our body, in our
ability to keep it healthy and functioning as it is
supposed to do. Our ability to provide the body with
all the necessary food, vitamins, and minerals so that
we continue to thrive in our daily life processes.
How do we determine that we are providing the essential
nutritional needs? That knowledge comes by educating
ourselves about what our individual needs are, the needs
of our family, and then taking that knowledge and applying
it to the foods we buy, that we prepare, and that our
families consume.
Quite
often, our vitamin and mineral needs outweigh our
caloric needs. In those instances, we turn to
manufactured vitamins and minerals to fill the gap. This
is a part of our nutritional needs, as well.
Complete knowledge of the nutrition spectrum takes some
time to absorb. The body contains so many different
elements, some in large quantity, and some in only trace
amounts. How do you know what you, much less everyone
else you might be responsible for, needs? As of today,
there is no good way to determine each individual’s
specific needs. What we have is an average consumption
based on your gender, your age, and weight. This is
like saying, ok, one size fits all.
Nutrition is one of the most complex areas to gain useful
knowledge about, because there are so many components,
and because each person has their own individual needs.
Women needs differ from those of men, and older women’s
needs differ from those of a young girl. As we age,
our needs constantly change; therefore continual education
about nutrition is a fact of life.
The nutritional needs of a cardiac patient are different
than those of a healthy, middle-aged hiker. Can you
see the complexity of the situation now? What we really
need is to develop a scale that determines the nutritional
needs of our bodies on a cellular level, so that as
we age, as our physical condition changes, or our health
changes, we can recalculate our needs, based on cellular
changes and content in our body. Individuality is the
key to understanding each person’s nutritional
needs, and then working to educate ourselves is the
key to fulfilling those nutritional needs.
