The Food Guide Pyramid by Jonathon Hardcastle

All types of foods contain nutritional substances that our body needs to grow , be fit, move, think, read, correct any cell damage and in other words, live! These nutritional materials, which actually compose our body, are proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, salts, and of course water. In order to receive all the things our organism needs, we have to maintain a balanced diet so as to ensure that we are receiving all the nutritional substances we need to survive.

Food provides us with the necessary amount of "fuel" our body requires in order to perform all the necessary activities, like the beating of our heart, breathing, walking, exercising, etc. As the "fuels" are reduced, our body signals this lower levels of necessary substances and we feel hungry. By eating we again manage to balance the nutrients (fuels) we need in order to keep going and perform all the tasks we want with those we lost. This "fuel" quantity we need is measure with what it is known as calorie.

One should keep in mind though that the amount of food each person needs to consume every day is different from individual to individual. It depends on a number of factors, like a person's age, sex, his/her volume, the type and level of exercise performed, even the climate of the area the person lives in. Apart from these factors, aging, pregnancy, sickness or development can affect the amount of calories one needs to take so as to keep the level of energy on the necessary levels.

The success of a sound diet plan is directly related to the quantities a person receives from each group of the nutritional substances. Specifically, a balanced diet is the one that is composed by 50-55 percent of carbohydrates, 25-30 percent of fats and 15-20 percent of proteins. One should not consider some foods healthier than others. What is the issue here is maintaining a balanced and healthy diet plan by consuming the right quantities, for the specific body structure and exercise level, out of all the different food varieties existing today.

The general rules one has to follow, in order to keep his body and mind healthy, are simple. The amount of food consumed, which is measured by the calories one receives, should not exceed the amount required to maintain a balanced weight. The diet plan followed has to offer all the necessary food ingredients according to the quantities suggested by the Food Guide Pyramid. The total amount of fat consumed should not exceed the 30 percent limit. Reducing the amount of salt and alcohol beverages one consumes would be considered wise. The balance diet does not include more than three cups of coffee on a daily basis. Of course, 55 percent of the total amount of calories consumed has to come from carbohydrates, such as bread, rise, fruits, vegetables, pulse, pasta and potatoes.

Eat well and stay healthy. Follow the Food Guide Pyramid and watch your body change!