What is the healthier food pyramid? ( vegans and vegetarians please help)?!
What is the healthier food pyramid? ( vegans and vegetarians please help)?
As far as I know there are 2 main food pyramids, the USDA food pyramid and theres also one on a vegetarian website ( i belive it was goveg. or something) I am actually trying to become vegetarian and I would like to know since i cant eat meat what do I eat to stay healthy? and which of the 2 food pyramids is the healthiest?
which one do i go by?
Answers:
The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine came out in 1991 with the "New Four Food Groups." They are: fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes (beans and peas). Meat, poultry, and fish were termed "optional" foods, not considered necessary for health. Referring to the USDA's "Food Pyramid," Marion Nestle, the chair of New York University's Department of Nutrition, said: "Why do we have a milk group? Because we have a National Dairy Council. Why do we have a meat group? Because we have an extremely powerful meat lobby."
Adolf Hitler was a strict vegetarian, so if you become one yourself, you could wind up picking a fight with the Russians, losing WWII and coming to an ignominious end in a bunker in Berlin.
Do you need to go by a pyramid? I have always gone by trying to have around 60 grams of protein a day. Although, I fall really short on this one. You can eat lots of soy based foods or other beans, lentils & seeds to get your protein. The fake lunch meats that are soy-based are pretty good. There is ham, turkey and chicken soy products. Seitan is also good.
Adding in whole grains adds calories, fiber and vitamins and minerals. Vegetables are important for enzymes, fiber and vitamins.
Fruits, especially berries, have many good nutrients.
Make sure to find a good source of Omega 3 fatty acids, probably flax oil.
Eat enough protein, some grains to fill you up and as much vegetables and fruits for variety as you can get in you.
You can't eat a pyramid, it's the symbolism. Remember fats at the top eat least. Next protein, then grain, then fruits and vegetables, eat plenty!
“ As long as I'm going to live to be 100, I might as well arrive there in the best health possible. ”
All kidding aside, there are some very real concerns to sticking to a meatless diet. Humans absolutely need the nutrients that most people get from animal foods. Soyfoods and soy-protein based foods are crucial to our getting those nutrients and staying healthy while eating mostly plant foods. Soy protein is an all-in-one food: complete protein, vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals. All these good things naturally occur in plants, some of them ONLY in plants.
While most vegetarians consume dairy products, veganism is a stricter form which excludes dairy, eggs, and any foods that contain these or other animal products. Still stricter is fruitarianism, which excludes all food but the botanic fruits of plants. Consumption of low-energy, fiber-rich foods, such as non-starchy vegetables, is effective in obtaining satiation (the feeling of "fullness").
Choose 8 servings from the following list to meet your daily goal:
? cup calcium fortified orange juice
? cup fortified tomato juice
1 cup cooked or 2 cups raw greens (e.g. kale, collard greens, broccoli)
? cup cow's milk, soy milk, or yogurt
? oz cheese
? cup calcium-set tofu
? cup almonds
2 tbsp almond butter or sesame tahini
? cup soy nuts
1 oz calcium-fortified breakfast cereal
Although 8 servings sounds like a lot, many of the serving sizes are quite small. For example, if you include ? cup of fortified orange juice as well as ? cup milk on cereal at breakfast, 1.5 oz of cheese on your sandwich at lunch, 1 cup of milk with supper, and ? cup of yogurt plus ? cup of almonds for a snack, you've gotten in 8 servings!
breakfast (e.g. muffin or cereal bar, fruit cup or fresh fruit, yogurt) and nibble throughout the morning.
The key is to choose the right types of carbs. Steer clear of overprocessed foods like white bread, and increase your intake of healthy whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. One key benefit of healthy carbs is that they contain fibre, which helps you to feel full, so you don't overeat.
Go for a heavier dinner with rice, wheat products, supplemented with fruits and salads.
VR
Just for the record..Hitler was only on a vegetarian diet for a short period of time because of his poor health. He got sick when he ate meat due to a stomach issue.
Meat does not keep you healthy. Atkins dieters tend to fall into poor health. A well rounded diet is what is healthy.
The best "food pyramid" I've found is at www.pcrm.org. Here is a link to the exact page, http://www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo/vsk/f...
You can find a prettier version in .PDF form if you look to the far middle right of the page.
http://www.hacres.com/home/home.asp...
It is a myth that eating meat/flesh is the only way to be healthy. In fact it is being proved(as many have always know) that the opposite it true. More medical info on the health benefits of being a "Veggie or Vegan" cited all the time.