Have you ever wondered how your diet is compared to the government standards? There are many different softwares you can purchase to assess your diet. Now you don't have to purchase one. The government just came out with a new web site which compares your diet with government standards.The Interactive Healthy Eating Index was created by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion at its address at www.usda.gov/cnpp/ . It's free and user friendly.
There are different ways this site analyzes your diet. When you first log on to the site you enter your name, age, gender and date.Your next step is to type in and select the quantity of the food consumed. When all input is finished, you then analyze your data by getting an overall healthy index score, by nutrient intake and/or by food guide pyramid recommendations.
The site uses a database of 7,500 different foods and allows you to enter in as many foods as you have consumed. It's a number cruncher site and provides information on 25 different nutrients.
You can see from this web site, if you consumed enough fruits and/or vegetables for the day or if you had enough protein for the days requirement. It gives you exact amounts for nutrient requirements for your age and gender, and how close you came, percentage-wise on meeting them. You have your choices on how to analyze the information.
It's a good web site - very helpful and informative. If you are interested in analyzing your diet, then this is your place. You might be surprised at what you learn.
In case you forgot about the pyramid (how could you do that) here's the rundown:
Start by visualizing a pyramid. The base of the pyramid is the largest area and contains only one group. The foods in this group are the energy builders. The base foods contain complex carbohydrates which come from breads, cereal, rice and pasta. We need six to 11 servings a day from this group.The next level is divided into two groups. The left side is the vegetable group. We need three to five servings a day from this group. On the right is the fruit group from which we need 2 to 4 servings daily. Both groups provide us with certain minerals, vitamins (C, B6, A, C and E) and fiber (which is only found in plant foods). Foods from these two groups are a good protection against cancer, heart disease and other chronic illnesses.
The next layer, also divided into two groups, contains the milk, yogurt and cheese group as well as the meat, poultry fish, dried beans, eggs and nuts group. These groups provide us with protein and are essential for maintaining healthy muscles and fat.
Watch out though. Some foods in this group are high in fat. Only two to three servings per day are needed from each group. Of course, the tip of the pyramid is the fats, oils and sweets group which should be eaten sparingly. This group provides very little nutrients.
If you have a question, write Family Nutrition Program, University of Florida/St. Johns County Cooperative Extension Service, 3125 Agricultural Center Drive, St. Augustine, Florida 32092. Joanne Cooper is the Family Nutrition Program Coordinator for the University of Florida/St. Johns County Cooperative Extension Service. E-mail address: firstname.lastname@example.org.
© 2017. All Rights Reserved. Contact Us