The Daily 4 Food Guide was developed by dietitians. It was memorized and used by women to prepare nutritious meals for the family.
Dairy group
Fruit & Vegetables group
Meats group
Bread & cereals group
As the men returned from World War II during the 1940’s and early 1950’s, the focus of America was on the “family”. Mom, Dad, and children had defined roles. Dad worked outside the home, earning a living income for the family. Education and opportunities for the children were emphasized. Mom stayed at home, and was the homemaker…doing the cleaning, laundry, child nurturing, and cooking. Girls were required to take Home Economics courses in school, to prepare them for this lifelong role. Families followed this pattern for about 20 years or so, and life was good… but times change!
Since those post-war families valued education and advancement for their children, both boys and girls were encouraged to go to college. For the first time in history, large numbers of women were graduating from college with degrees, and felt the need to use that investment. With women wanting to work outside the home, the traditional roles in the family were challenged. This brought about a great deal of social change related to food! Think about… Was family mealtime and “bonding” affected?
Were men expected to help cook? Who was going to teach them? Did they want to learn?
Were traditional family holidays affected?
How were restaurants affected?
Have grandmas stopped baking cookies for the grandchildren?
Families weren’t the only thing changing. By the 1980’s, the Daily 4 Food Guide had been used by a great many people for thirty years. It was time to evaluate it’s success. Several health issues in America seemed to be directly related to diet… heart disease, some types of cancer, eating disorders, and obesity. It appeared time for change. The Daily 4 Food Guide was replaced with
The Food Pyramid.
between the Daily 4 Food Guide and The Food Pyramid: 1. A pyramid was used instead of a circle. The circle had given the impression that Added all 4 groups were equally fats & important, while a pyramid’s sugars foundation is definitely more important than the upper sections. The breads and cereals group was then placed Dairy Meats in the bottom section… showing it’s value in the diet. Fruits Vegetables 2. Fruits and vegetables were split into 2 groups. 3. A section was added at the top of the pyramid, not as a new group, but as a reminder NOT to eat heavily from these types of foods.
Breads & Cereals
Another 20 years or so passes by, until the year 2005. At that time, yet another evaluation was made of the nation’s This condition nearly tripled in dietary habits and related health issues. those last 20 years, contributing Unfortunately, our health condition had to increases in diabetes and notcontinuing high levels of heart improved as much as hoped. Life style changes and the influences of disease. Our diets were making advertising were taking their toll on our us a nation at risk! health. In fact, one major health problem What is your ideal body weight? linked to diet had even increased!.
http://www.halls.md/ideal-weight/body.htm
With both parents working, Americans had become a country of busy, busy people…too busy to take the time and effort to cook nutritious meals. The fast food industry grew rapidly…
Supersized portions of food were marketed, with 3 very unhealthy attributes :
1. High calorie content 2. High fat content 3. High sodium (salt) content
In addition, when we did have time at home we spent it on the couch, rather than in physical activity.
So once again, the experts in nutrition took the food pyramid, and revised it. To send a new message, they basically… pushed it over on it’s side to form vertical blocks !
A stairway was added to the side, to represent exercise, and groups were slightly rearranged.
The New Food Pyramid was adopted ! It still had 5 food groups.
There is a narrow yellow stripe that represents oils. It is not actually considered a food group.
All foods in the breads and cereals group originate from grains. Can you name a grain and the food made from it?
WHEAT/FLOUR and foods made from flour… POPCORN CORN/CORNMEAL Including PASTA OATS
BARLEY
RYE
HOPS
RICE
You need a minimum of 6 ounces from this group each day!
A measurement of “one medium” or ¾ cup will usually equal 1 ounce from this group.
Foods from this group provide the main nutrient… Vitamin B!
FIBER is another dietary contribution from the foods in this group. It is that non-soluble substance that cleans the digestive tract. An increase of fiber in the diet may prevent some types of cancer.
Each of the B vitamins has a name and a number assigned to it.
The primary function of the B vitamins is ENERGY!
STARCHES are the type of carbohydrate found in nearly all the foods in this group.
CAN YOU NAME SOME OF THE SOURCES FROM THIS GROUP? FRUITS HAVE A HIGH NATURAL SUGAR CONTENT. These sugars are carbohydrates.
½ cup ½ cup ½ cup
You need a total of 1 ½ cups from this group each day. Before fruits and vegetables were divided into two groups, people neglected to eat fruits very often because they cost more.
Can you name some sources from this group? Some vegetables are considered “fruits”, because they are the “fruit of the vine”. Tomatoes are an example. First the plant blooms, and the bloom is followed by the fruit. As a food, however, tomatoes are considered a vegetable because of their naturally low sugar content.
½ cup ½ cup Every day, you need a ….. a total of 1 ½ cups
½ cup
Can you measure it in a cup? If so, ½ cup equals one usual serving amount. The key, however, is NOT to exceed 1 ½ cups total each day!
Eating 1 medium fruit or vegetable equals one, ½ cup serving. Aim for an amount to equal 1 ½ cups daily!
What size of fast food French Fries would equal a ½ cup serving?
So, what size would constitute your entire recommended daily allowance of vegetables?
Vitamin A is found in dark green and deep yellow fruits and vegetables. Vitamins, especially Vitamin A regulates body processes.
Vitamin C is found in citrus fruits and vegetables…all high in citric acid. Vitamin C has several other functions. It “cements” body cells together (a deficiency would be characterized by easy bruising). It also maintains a healthy immune system (a deficiency characterized by frequent colds and illnesses).
Both categories of carbohydrates are present in fruits and vegetables…starches and sugars.
Starches Sugars
Vegetables
Fruits
Fruits and vegetables, although they have many things in common, rate separate groups on the pyramid. People used to eat only vegetables because they cost less. Now we are asked to eat fruits also due to their high fiber content.
Can you list some sources from the dairy group?
24 ounces in 24 hours!
If you’re drinking milk, each serving is often 8 ounces (1 cup or ½ pint).
Calcium is the main nutrient from this group…building and maintaining bones and teeth!
A pregnant or nursing woman needs additional calcium. The developing baby will strip the calcium from the mother’s skeleton if necessary, leaving her bones and teeth fragile or decaying. This leaves her vulnerable to osteoporosis later on in life.
The main nutrient of this group is protein.
Protein builds tissue and muscle. Exercising will tone existing muscle, but additional protein would be needed in the diet to make new muscle tissue.
Cheese is a double duty food! It can be counted as both a meat and dairy group serving due to it’s high calcium and protein content. There are many foods in this group that are not considered “meat”. They all, however, have a high protein content. Can you name some sources? Legumes Beef, pork, venison, lamb Poultry Eggs Fish/seafood
Nuts
do not exceed a total
of 6 ounces per day!
(3 oz. is about the size of a deck of cards.)
AMERICANS LOVE MEAT!...and it’s relatively inexpensive for us in the Midwest United States compared to what the rest of the world pays for it (because we have pastures and can raise our own animals).
We love it so much, in fact, that we eat far too many servings each day. For that reason, this group appears as a narrower group on the pyramid as a reminder to eat less!
Too many foods from this group raise our cholesterol levels. Cholesterol is a waxy, saturated fat produced naturally in the liver and found in the food we eat…especially meat group foods. Too much cholesterol in our bloodstream can lead to heart disease.
Not all of it. Cholesterol is produced naturally in the liver. HDL cholesterol (high-density lipoproteins) is actually “good cholesterol” It is an excess amount of LDL cholesterol (low-density lipoproteins) that is bad for you. The HDL cholesterol picks up excess LDL cholesterol and returns it to the liver. But if the LDL levels are very high, these particles build up and cling to the inside of artery walls. To keep a healthy heart and arteries, you either have to raise the HDL levels or lower the LDL levels. We can lower LDL levels with diet… decreasing the amount of saturated fat intake from the meats group.
There are some foods that do not “fit” on the food pyramid… either because the risks of eating these foods outweighs the benefits, OR because they contain little or no nutrients.
Condiments: foods not normally eaten alone, but are added to other foods to “accent” the flavors. Be careful, condiments are flavorful, but often add fats and sugars in the diet that are not naturally found in the food.
Coffee, soda, tea, and alcohol have no nutrients, and certain types are high in calories and the chemical stimulant caffeine. Practice caution!
Added sugars: frosting, syrup, sugar on cereal, whipped toppings
Added fats: butter, sour cream, salad dressings, mayonnaise, oil,
Oils are fats that are liquid at room temperature, and come from different plants and from fish. Some common oils are: canola oil corn oil cottonseed oil olive oil safflower oil soybean oil sunflower oil walnut oil sesame oil
A number of foods are naturally high in oils, like: nuts olives some fish avocados
Foods that are mainly oil include mayonnaise, certain salad dressings, and soft (tub or squeeze) margarine.
AVOID SOLID FATS! They are solid at room temperature, like butter and shortening. Solid fats come from many animal foods and can be made from vegetable oils through a process called hydrogenation. Some common solid fats are: butter beef fat (tallow, suet) chicken fat pork fat (lard) stick margarine shortening
Because oils contain essential (mandatory for survival) fatty acids, there is an allowance for oils in the food guide. These essential fatty acids, sometimes called Omega 3 fatty acids, reduce inflammation and help prevent heart disease and arthritis. Oils are also a major source of vitamin E.
While consuming some oil is needed for health, oils still contain calories. In fact, oils and solid fats both contain about 120 calories per tablespoon. Therefore, the amount of oil consumed needs to be limited.
The addition of the stairs on the side of the pyramid, turns this food pyramid into a FOOD & FITNESS PYRAMID!
Every individual should participate in a minimum of 30 minutes of exercise, above and beyond normal daily activity levels.
• Preparing individuals for life and work • Strengthening families • Empowering communities
Created by Barbara L. Swarthout, Family & Consumer Sciences teacher at Elkhorn High School