How about tweaking the food pyramid idea to give a diet that is nutrient dense and also energy saving. Put fruit and vegetables at the bottom of the pyramid to encourage you to eat a lot more of these rich-nutrient foods than any other food category.
The tweaked order is as follows:
1. Vegetables and Fruit –eat mostly from this section
2. Protein and Carbohydrates –eat a moderate amount from this section
3. Fats –this category is still important for essential nutrients but eat only a minimal amount from this section.
4. Treats and pleasure foods- eat only a small amount and simply to give you pleasure. Chose wisely as some treat foods are better than others.
Wonder food to include are:
Section 1
- Asparagus
- Apricots (inc dried)
- Cabbage Family
- Avocadoes
- Capsicum
- Chilli peppers Berries
- Dark-green leafy vegetables
- Citrus Family
- Globe artichokes
- Guava
- Mushrooms
- Kiwi fruit
- Onion Family
- Mango
- Peas
- Papaya
- Tomatoes
- Passionfruit
- Persimmon
- Pomegranate
- Prunes
- Rockmelon
Section 2
- Chicken &Turkey
- Barley
- Eggs
- Beans and lentils
- Fish
- Buckwheat
- Game meats
- Bulgar
- Lean pork
- Corn
- Lean red meat
- Grain breads
- Liver
- Natural muesli
- Low-fat milk and yoghurt
- Oats
- Seafood (not fish roe,prawns and squid)
- Pumpernickel bread
- Quinoa
- Wholemeal pasta
Section 3
- Almonds
- Pecans
- Avocado
- Pine nuts
- Brazil Nuts
- Pistachios
- Cashews
- Sesame seeds &Tahina
- Flaxseeds (inc oil)
- Sunflower seeds
- Hazelnuts
- Walnuts
- Nut spreads and butters
- Olives (inc oil)
- Oily fish
- Seafood
Eat the following foods only in small amounts and rarely:
- floury potatoes,
- tinned fruit in syrup,
- dried cranberries,
- bagels,crumpets,pikelets,English muffins,
- instant porridge oats,polenta,processed breakfast cereals,puffed grains,
- rice crackers,crispbreads,crackers,
- white bread,white rice,rice noodles
- sausages,bacon,prosciutto,salami,cured meats
- chicken (that is not breast meat),duck,goose,fatty red meat,
- full-fat milk,full-fat cheese,flavoured yoghurt,processed cheese,
- butter,margarines,canola oil,corn oil,soybean oil,refined oils,
- roasted salted nuts,peanuts
Treat Foods that are not the best choices include sweets and processed foods.
