Food Pyramid

Poultry in the Pyramid of Proper Diet

Overflown by information and advice on how to eat properly, it is often difficult to remember it all and we are often faced with a dilemma which food to put on our menu more often. It was for this reasons that experts from numerous institutes all over the world prepared the food pyramid that provides the basic information regarding food groups in a picturesque and simple manner. The pyramid can help us plan our daily menu giving us a sufficient amount of energy, proteins, carbon hydrates, vitamins, minerals and fibres that we need to overcome the daily physical and mental strains.

This time, we are introducing the generally accepted food pyramid prepared by experts of the World Health Organisation.

The food groups in the pyramid are divided across the pyramid with regard to the proportion of the suggested daily intake of a specific food group. Food groups located towards the top of the pyramid should be eaten in smaller quantities and less frequently, while food groups located at the bottom of the pyramid can be eaten in bigger quantities and more often. The food group's position in the pyramid is determined with regard to the food group's nutritional value. Sweets, for example, have a high calorific value but very few or even no vitamins and minerals and are as such located at the top of the pyramid.

Which Food

The pyramid makes use of the colour scheme of traffic lights. Green is for food groups that should be eaten more often, orange contains food groups where we must not exaggerate with the quantity of the food that we eat and the red top is for food groups that we can eat only occasionally and in very small quantities.

Poultry can be Eaten Frequently

Poultry is located in the centre of the pyramid and is, according to WHO recommendations, among the most appropriate types of meat to be consumed more frequently together with fish. We are of course talking about lean poultry parts. Experts recommend poultry for its favourable nutritional values, as it is a rich source of proteins, vitamins, minerals and healthy fats. A twenty-gram portion of poultry covers two thirds of our daily need of proteins that are our cells' nutrient and as such exceptionally important for our health. Poultry is also a rich source of vitamins of the B group that experts refer to as “the champions among vitamins”. Certain vitamins of the B vitamin group are found only in meat. Poultry contains many minerals, among them iron, calcium, magnesium, zinc and selenium. It is also a source of healthy unsaturated facts that our body needs to work properly.

Pyramid as Help

Let the pyramid guide you in choosing the food, but do not forget that each food that we eat needs to be fresh and of a high quality, which especially applies to choosing meat. Only high-quality and fresh food is the source of all the nutrients that made experts decide on its position in the pyramid.