The Skinny on The Pyramid

jaweber

Danielle,

I am sort of a mix between the Harvard Nutrition pyramid and the Mediterranean pyramid. If you go back a couple posts you will see my response to Christie’s question of do I strictly count calories or look at food groups or what when I plan my meals. I gave quite a long ramble about how I don’t really think the USDA’s mypyramid is all that great (for me, that is). I don’t eat a lot of red meat at all and choose to instead fill up on whole grains, fruits, veggies, nuts and beans….with a little dark chocolate and red wine mixed in there as well :).

I eat red meat probably only once a month and eat chicken about once a week. I LOVE fish and wish I could afford to buy it more often! I think if you look at the trends in health in Mediterranean versus the United States you will clearly see that the U.S. is going down the tubes with an increase in obesity, cancer, diabetes….not my ideal picture of health!

The Mediterranean food pyramid as well as the Harvard pyramid gives more emphasis on healthy fats like olive oil and nuts that are integral to our diet.

…okay I’m going to stop rambling now, i could go on and on and on about this because I feel so strongly about it! If you are interested I suggest reading “Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy” by Walter Willet, M.D. (Harvard Med. guy) and “Mediterranean Women Stay Slim Too” by Melissa Kelly. Two of my favorites–the recipes are fantastic!