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| Healthy Diet Pyramid |
The following pages introduces you to The Healthy Diet
Pyramid. The Pyramid illustrates the research-based
food guidance system developed by Department of
Nutrition, Ministry of Health.
The Pyramid is based on research on what foods
Singaporeans eat, what nutrients are in these foods,
and how to make the best food choices for you.
The Pyramid will help you choose what and how much to
eat from each food group to get the nutrients you need
and not too many calories, or too much fat, saturated
fat, cholesterol, sugar, sodium, or alcohol.
Following the Pyramid will help you keep your intake
of total fat and saturated fat low. A diet low in fat
will reduce your chances of getting certain diseases
and help you maintain a healthy weight.
This guide will also help you learn how to spot and
control the sugars and salt in your diet, and make
lower sugar and salt choices.
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| What is the Healthy Diet Pyramid? |
The Pyramid is an outline of what to eat each day. It
is not a rigid prescription, but a general guide that
lets you choose a healthful diet that's right for
you.
The Pyramid calls for eating a variety of foods to get
the nutrients you need and at the same time the right
amount of calories to maintain or improve your
weight.
The Pyramid also focuses on fat because most
Singaporeans diets are too high in fat, especially
saturated fat.
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| A Balanced Diet - The Pyramid Way |
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| Looking at the Pieces of the Pyramid |
The Healthy Diet Pyramid emphasizes foods from the four
major food groups shown in the three lower sections of
the Pyramid. Each of these food groups provides some,
but not all, of the nutrients you need. Foods in one
group cannot replace those in another. No one food
group is more important than another - for good health,
you need them all.
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The small tip of the Pyramid shows fats, oils, sugar
and salt. These are foods such cooking oils, butter,
margarine, sugars, sweet desserts, seasonings and
sauces. These foods provide calories and little else
nutritionally. Most people should use them
sparingly.
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On the next level of the Healthy Diet Pyramid are foods
that come mostly from animals: Meat and Alternatives like beef,
lamb, mutton, pork, poultry, fish, dry
beans, eggs, milk, yogurt, cheese; nuts and seeds.
These foods are for protein, calcium, iron, and
zinc.
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The third level includes foods that come from plants -
Vegetables and Fruits. Most people need to eat more of
these foods for the vitamins, minerals, and fibre they
supply.
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At the base of the Healthy Diet Pyramid are Rice and
Alternatives like noodles, breads, cereals, chapati,
and pasta - all foods from grains. Your daily meals
should include largest number of servings of these foods each
day.
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Look at the next section for further explanation of
The Food Groups.
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