The healthy eating pyramid we have been following since the year 2000 (when the last update was released) has now been cast aside and replaced by more modern view that most nutritional professionals are applauding.
Originally developed in the 80s by The Australian Nutrition Foundation, the pyramid serves as a visual tool that quickly and clearly shows Aussies what they should be serving up day-to-day.
So what’s on the plate today? Well, technically the pyramid is more of a representation of what was on our plate two years ago as it follows the latest Australian dietary guidelines, which were released in 2013. Still, the new pyramid makes a lot more sense to our thoroughly modern selves than the old.
On the bottom layer, which shows the food we should be eating most, we have vegetables, legumes and fruit. No surprises there. We also have some friendly suggestions to “choose water” and “enjoy herbs and spices.
Once upon a time this to-be-consumed-en-masse layer of the pyramid also contained carbohydrates including rice and cereal. Today, these staples have been moved up to the to-be-consumed-less often layer number two. This trendy pyramid also includes quinoa and couscous on the carbs layer.
Next in line is a protein-rich tower of dairy and dairy alternatives, plus lean meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and nuts. And to finish off the pyramid we have our good fats as indicated by a bottle of good old-fashioned olive oil. We are also advised to limit salt and added sugar.
And what’s not? We’ve left out margarine, butter, processed fat, sugar, and junk foods altogether, sending the message that we should probably not think of these foods as being a part of our day-to-day diet at all.
