A Guide to Eating Healthy With the Food Pyramid. In order to stay healthy, you have to eat a variety of nutritious foods every day. It's not that easy to eat healthy though, and that's where the Food Guide Pyramid can help you out!Food Pyramid - The Pieces of the Puzzle. The Food Guide Pyramid is an easy way to learn about healthy eating. Just think of it as a puzzle of nutrients that your body needs every day, and the five major food groups are the puzzle pieces. Milk (3-4 servings) - Foods include milk, yogurt and cheese. The key ingredient is calcium, which builds strong teeth and bones. Fruits (2-4 servings) - Fruits are excellent sources of vitamin C, which heals cuts and keeps skin healthy, and fiber, which helps your digestion. So stock up on fruits - fresh fruit, dried fruit, frozen fruit, canned fruit... they're all good!Vegetables (3-5 servings) - Veggies are also great sources of fiber and vitamin A. Just remember that darker colored vegetables, like carrots and broccoli, have more nutrients. Meat (2-3 servings) - Foods include meat (beef, chicken, turkey, fish, pork but not bacon), beans and nuts. This group provides iron and protein, which gives you strong muscles. Grains (6-11 servings) - This food group gives you energy because it contains carbohydrates. Includes breads, cereals, rice and pasta.
Calorie Requirements. Calorie requirements vary according to several factors, including your gender, age, body frame, current weight, height, level of physical activity and hormone balance. Daily Value percentages on food labels assume a 2,000-calorie diet, but your caloric needs may be more or less. Most people need 1,600 to 2,400 calories each day; athletes require a larger caloric intake, while minimum calorie requirements usually don't go below 1,400. Calorie requirement calculators are available online, or you can talk to a doctor or dietitian
General Guidelines. If you’re not following a strict diet, you can simply go by generic guidelines. Columbia University recommends consuming 350 to 500 calories at breakfast. If you eat fewer than 350 calories, you won’t get enough energy to boost your metabolism and to carry you through to the next meal. On the other hand, more than 500 calories may be more energy than you need, which means the excess calories will be stored as fat. This range works well for many people, but if you typically consume more than 2,400 calories daily, you may need 600 calories or more for breakfast.