Assessing Your Diet with the Food Guide Pyramid

The Food Guide Pyramid can be used as a tool to assess your current food intake. The pyramid contains all the food groups essential to a healthy diet. It is meant as a guideline to aid people in recognizing what and how much to eat of each of the five major food groups daily. Following the Food Guide Pyramid will help keep your fat intake at healthy levels and ensure that you are consuming all the essential nutrients that make up a healthy diet for the average person. It will help you increase your intake of nutrient-dense foods or foods that contain more nutrients than calories. By following the Food Guide Pyramid, you can rest assured that you are getting all of the nourishment that your body needs to plan for a healthy pregnancy.

On average, women who are not pregnant should consume the following servings daily from the Food Guide Pyramid (depending on activity level):

• 6 to 9 servings from the bread, cereal, rice, and pasta group-Include whole-grain and whole-wheat foods as much as possible.
• 3 to 4 servings from the vegetable group-Choose from a variety of vegetables, and stick to fresh or frozen for higher nutritional content.
• 2 to 3 servings from the fruit group-Choose from a variety of fruits.
• 2 to 3 servings from the milk group-Choose from low-fat or fat-free dairy products.
• 5 to 6 ounces (or 2 servings) from the meat group-Choose from lean meats and include nonmeat protein foods such as beans, lentils, and fish regularly.
• Fats, oils, and sweets-Use sparingly.

Keep in mind that the stated number of servings is for women who are not yet pregnant. These serving sizes increase with pregnancy.

Food in one group should not replace foods from another group. Because each group supplies different essential nutrients, no food group is any more important than any other. It is important to eat from all of the food groups each day and to eat a variety for optimal nutritional intake. In addition to your food intake, don’t forget your fluids, too!

Alert: Water is an important nutrient and one that is often overlooked when planning a healthy diet. For optimal intake, you should shoot for at least eight 8-ounce glasses per day. Water is present in just about every part of the body and has a vital role in almost every major function in the body, including pregnancy. The body has no provision to store water, so make sure you drink water every day.