The Harvard Healthy Eating Pyramid: Find Out About This Alternative Food Pyramid Developed by Harvard
The Need for an Alternative
The Food Pyramid that most people know is the one issued by the U.S. government. While it is an acceptable food pyramid, many people believe that the various food industries, which have a lot to lose if their products don’t get featured prominently on the food pyramid, wield entirely too much political influence on the contents of the food pyramid.
For this reason, alternative food pyramids exist, such as the Harvard Healthy Eating Pyramid.
The Need for an Alternative
The base of the Harvard Healthy Eating Pyramid is not actually food, but rather, daily exercise and proper weight control. The reasoning behind this is that exercise, proper portion sizes and good weight control can go extremely far in promoting good health.
The next level on the pyramid consists of healthy fats and oils, such as those found in olive oil, nuts, and avocados, along with whole grains, and a healthy dose of fruits and vegetables.
The level above that on the Harvard Healthy Eating Pyramid is shared by nuts, beans, and tofu, which are all excellent sources of protein, along with fish, poultry, and eggs which are all good animal sources of protein.
Next on the pyramid is dairy products, of which one to two servings a day is enough. Alternatively, a mixture of calcium and vitamin D supplements can provide much of the health benefits that dairy provides, without all the health drawbacks that dairy products contain.
The top of food pyramid is reserved for red meat, butter, refined grains, sugars, sweets, and all the other unhealthy things that we should eat only sparingly.
The Need for an Alternative
The Harvard Healthy Eating Pyramid was developed by the the faculty of the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health, and as such, has been built by some of the most esteemed health professionals in the world. It is based on current, up to date scientific research.
To read more about the Harvard Healthy Eating Pyramid, go to the home page.