the healthy eating pyramid

I just love this arrangement for the food guide pyramid or the Healthy Eating Pyramid as Harvard University has named it. This is almost exactly how my family and I live (or at least how we try to live:) Instead of having the carbs at the base of the pyramid, exercise is now included in the pyramid and as one of the most important items for a healthy lifestyle and maintaining a healthy weight. I think people have always known that exercise is super important, but incorporating it into the pyramid hopefully will help people make the connection that being healthy isn't just

about eating the right foods but also includes adequate exercise. Proper diet and exercise are equally important for maintaining proper health and wellness.

Carbs are now just a smaller portion on the next level up and is stressed as eating whole grains. The refined grains are at the very top (where they should be! I probably would have just deleted them all together, but it is not always possible to eat whole grains)

I also love how it mentions to take a multi vitamin and vitamin D supplement. I really feel this is so important, especially for those of us who live in the Pacific Northwest:) I think it is safe to say that almost everyone (unless you live in a very sunny climate) is deficient in vitamin D. The FDA recommends 400 IU per day, but now doctors are recommending daily intake to be around 1000 IU or more. My kids and I have been taking it in the liquid form for several months now. It is hard to tell whether or not I see results, but I will say that although my kids have had the common cold (runny nose, cough) off and on this winter they did not get any of the flus that went around our area, church, gym, etc. On top of that, I did not catch their colds, which I always have in the past. So I am sold! I will continue to take it and give it to my nutbars.

Visit Harvard University's School of Public Health for five quick tips on following the Healthy Eating Pyramid.

Copyright © 2008. For more information about The Healthy Eating Pyramid, please see The Nutrition Source, Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, http://www.thenutritionsource.org, and Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy, by Walter C. Willett, M.D. and Patrick J. Skerrett (2005), Free Press/Simon & Schuster Inc.