Healthy Food Pyramid & Healthy Eating Plate

Have you ever wondered how the food you eat affects your body? What food makes us healthier, smarter or stronger, especially when you have a condition such as Sickle Cell Disease? How do we make the right choices in eating healthy with all the billions of food types in the world? You are not alone in asking these questions & fortunately, nutritionists & other health experts have come up with a universal guide to making decisions in eating healthy –the Healthy Pyramid and Healthy Eating Plate.

Healthy Food Pyramid & Eating Plate courtesy of Harvard University

Food Pyramid

               

Just as its name suggests, it’s a pyramid of different food groups, organized in a manner to give servings and portions of a good balanced diet that an individual should consume in a day. The Food Pyramid is best used as a guide when shopping for foods. Prioritize your shopping starting with the foods at the bottom of the pyramid going upwards.

The biggest portion of the Healthy Eating Pyramid is daily exercise and weight control. This is because they strongly affect what you eat and how your food affects you –remember that food is our source of energy; diets will vary based on how much we spend that energy. Regular exercise can help you control your weight, and it is a key part of any weight-loss effort.

The second row in size is made up of whole grains, healthy fats/oils, vegetables and fruits. The best sources of carbohydrates are whole grains such as maize meal, whole wheat bread and brown rice. They deliver the outer (bran) and inner (germ) layers along with energy-rich starch. The body can’t digest whole grains as quickly as highly processed carbohydrates such as white flour. This keeps blood sugar and insulin levels from rising, then falling, too quickly.

There is the misconception that fats are bad for our health, especially for someone who has Sickle Cell Diseas. The facts are, we get approximately 1/3 or more of our energy from fats and fats are also used to transport some vitamins such as vitamins A, D, E and K.  Not ALL fats are bad for our health & this is why the pyramid talks of healthy fats and oils –the unsaturated fats. Sources include olive, canola, soy, corn, sunflower, peanut and other vegetable oils; nuts, seeds, avocados and fatty fish such as salmon.

A diet rich in vegetables and fruits has bountiful benefits. They are rich in fiber –slowing down digestion & preventing constipation, they protect against some types of cancers, they lower blood pressure, they help you avoid the painful intestinal ailment called diverticulitis, they contain an ocean of vitamins & minerals that are helpful in preventing crises and add variety to your diet and wake up your palate.

The third row contains nuts, seeds and beans. They are excellent sources of protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Many kinds of nuts contain healthy fats –they include groundnuts (njugu), cashew (korosho), macadamia, almonds, walnuts, pecans, peanuts, hazelnuts and pistachios. Beans include kidney/ red beans (mbosho), black beans (njahi), navy beans, lentils, among others. Eating nuts and beans in place of red meat or processed meat can lower the risk of heart disease and diabetes. This row also contains fish, poultry & eggs which are also important sources of protein. Fish is rich in heart-healthy omega-3 fats. Poultry like chicken and turkey are also good sources of protein and can be low in saturated (‘bad’) fat.

Dairy contributes in building and maintaining bones, nails, teeth & other parts of the body because it contains calcium, zinc, vitamin D & B₁₂. However, dairy products have been limited in portions because they are normally high in ‘bad’ fats and sodium. Supplements that you may also need to take, such as a multivitamin, vitamin D, zinc or folate supplement are also included in this group.

At the very top of the pyramid is the ‘Use Sparingly’ section. Such foods include:

·         Red meat (beef, pork and mutton) –they are very high in saturated fats.

·        Processed meats such as bacon, hot dogs, smokies, ham, brawn, corned beef and deli meats –they are very high in added sodium (salt).

·       Refined Grains such as white bread, white rice and pasta; potatoes; sugary drinks and sweets –these are unhealthy carbohydrates and are not grouped together with the rest in the second row because they cause fast rises in blood sugar, which overwhelms the body during continuous abrupt digestion; rather than the slower, steadier digestion caused by whole grains.

·       Salt in excess can cause dehydration which results in painful episodes called crisis, in SCA patients. Foods with high amounts of salts are mostly processed foods such as cheese, breads, deli meats and food prepared away from home.

It’s important to note that certain drinks such as carbonated beverages/ sodas and alcohol are not included in the pyramid. This is because they are a ‘NO-GO-ZONE’ for people with sickle cell anemia.

Once the shopping has been done using the Healthy Food Pyramid, it is advisable to distribute your portions according to the Healthy Eating Plate, which is a clever & simplified way of portioning food on your plate. Vegetables and fruits should take up ½ of your plate while carbohydrates and proteins should each take up ¼ of your plate. About 6-8 glasses of water should be drunk daily and spread over meals.

Tell us in the comments section below how your current plate looks like. And what you think about the healthy pyramid.

Love Life!

Sharlene Mule