Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans, Eggs, & Nuts Group 2-3 SERVINGS Fruit Group 2-4 SERVINGS Bread, Cereal, Rice, & Pasta Group 6-11 SERVINGS These symbols show fat and added sugars in foods. eating a variety of foods to get the nutrients you need and at the same time the right amount of calories to maintain a healthy weight. The Pyramid also focuses on fat because most American diets are too high in fat, especially saturated fat. Looking at the Pieces of the Pyramid The Food Guide Pyramid emphasizes foods from the five major food groups shown in the three lower sections of the Pyramid. Each of these food groups provides some, but not all, of the nutrients you need. Foods in one group can't replace those in another. No one food group is more important than another – for good health, you need them all. USE SPARINGLY 2-3 SERVINGS 3-5 SERVINGS 6-11 S WOOD The small tip of the Pyramid shows fats, oils, and sweets. These are foods such as salad dressings and oils, cream, butter, margarine, sugars, soft drinks, candies, and sweet desserts. These foods provide calories and little else nutritionally. Most people should use them sparingly. On this level of the Food Guide Pyramid are protein, calcium, iron, and zinc. This level includes foods that come from plants – vegetables and fruits. Most people need to eat more of these foods for the vitamins, minerals, and fiber they supply. At the base of the Food Guide Pyramid are breads, cereals, and these foods can be prepared in ways that lower fat. Fruits, vegetables, and grain products are naturally low in fat. But many popular items are prepared with fat, like french fried potatoes or croissants, making them higher fat choices. For example: ONE BAKED POTATO Added Sugars V These symbols represent sugars added to foods in processing or at the table, not the sugars found naturally in fruits and milk. It's the added sugars that provide calories with few vitamins and minerals. Most of the added sugars in the typical American diet come from foods in the Pyramid tipsoft drinks, candy, jams, jellies, syrups, and table sugar we add to foods like coffee or cereal. Added sugars in the food groups come from foods such as ice cream, sweetened yogurt, chocolate milk, canned or frozen fruit with heavy syrup, and sweetened bakery products like cakes and cookies. The chart on page 16 shows you the amounts of added sugars in some popular foods. You may be surprised! Fat and Sugar Tips: Choose lower fat foods from the food groups most often. Go easy on fats and sugars added to foods in cooking or at the table—butter, margarine, gravy, salad dressing, sugar, and jelly. Choose fewer foods that are high in sugars— candy, sweet desserts, and soft drinks. Calories: 225 Fat: 11 grams |