It makes food sense, everything in moderation The food pyramid above displays what health specialists say you should eat most – or little of. Picture from the United States Department of Agriculture click on image for more detailed breakdown Vegetarians too can adapt the good food pyramid to their diets. Here we see the meat level substituted for dry beans, nuts, eggs and meat alternatives. Picture from US Dietic Association

Triangles for a square meal

The Healthy Eating Pyramid is the most recognised food model in Australia. It aims to illustrate the optimal balance of foods that make up a healthy diet.

The model is composed of the five food groups: breads and cereals, fruit and vegetables, milk and dairy products, meat and alternatives and finally the fats and so-called treat foods – foods which are high in either sugar and/or fat.

The current model of the pyramid may soon undergo significant excavations.

In the United States the equivalent food pyramid model is currently undergoing architectural reconstruction.

In particular, the base that is now made up of breads and cereals may become narrower, and more room will be made for nuts, seeds and some oils.

These changes are a result of a large body of evidence that looks at two distinct food ingredients – carbohydrates and fats.

It is becoming clear that not all fats are bad, and in a similar fashion not all carbohydrates are good.

A new approach to carbs

Carbohydrates are the main providers of glucose (blood sugar) to fuel body cells.

Carbohydrate-rich foods include breads, pasta, rice, fruit, and vegetables that grow under the ground.

Carbohydrate-rich foods subdivide into:

• those which are readily digested and absorbed, and which contribute to a sharp rise in glucose (high Glycaemic Index carbohydrates).
• those that have a gradual effect on the glucose levels (low Glycaemic Index carbohydrates).

The latest scientific research points to a deleterious effect on our health of complex carbohydrate foods with a high Glycogenic Index (GI).

Studies are beginning to show that consuming large quantities of high GI carbohydrates leads to the following:

• Rapid rise in blood sugar levels followed by a release of insulin, a hormone that lowers blood sugar levels by converting sugar into fat.

This has a weight-gain-promoting effect.

Lesser satiety carbohydrate-rich foods with a high GI don’t fill us up as much as carbohydrate-rich foods with a low GI index.

Consider for example a slice of fluffy white bread as opposed to heavier mixed grain bread.

It would seem that we are likely to eat more foods if our diet includes mostly high GI carbohydrate rich foods as opposed to low GI foods.

Not all fats are bad for us

Other research fuelling the reconstruction of the old Healthy Eating Pyramid focuses on fats.

Numerous studies support the recommendation of monounsaturated fats as part of a healthy diet, and the avoidance of saturated fats, as well as trans fats.

Monounsaturated fats, widely present in Mediterranean diets, and making their way into our diet in Australia mostly as olive and canola oils, seem to have a protective effect on heart health.

Monounsaturated fats, unlike saturated fats, don’t increase LDL-cholesterol, which, if elevated, increases the likelihood of heart disease.

Trans fats which are a byproduct of hydrogenation, a process used by the food industry to turn liquid fats into solid fats – for example, in the making of margarines – appear even more harmful to heart health.

These fats increase LDL-cholesterol and lower HDL-cholesterol – the good cholesterol.

The reconstruction of the pyramid will take a little while to consolidate.

In the meanwhile the message is to continue eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, choose wholegrain breads and cereals, consume lean meats, poultry and fish and dairy products in moderation, and use monounsaturated fats in place of saturated fats.

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