Wednesday 20 May 2015

Veggies rule in the new Food Pyramid!

As most of my readers know I have given up sugar in an attempt to bring down my cholesterol level and I often check out 'I Quit Sugar' for recipes, hints and to read about the latest research into healthy as well as junk foods. I found it very interesting to read this week that the Food Pyramid has been updated by Nutrition Australia for the first time in 15 years and it looks like veggies rule!


 The I Quit Sugar staff are over the moon about it. We have been encouraged for ages on TV, in magazines etc. to eat more vegetables than most Aussies eat so hopefully everyone will take heed. As posters of the Food Pyramid are often to be found in schools, it would be nice to see young children become aware of the need to include more of the greens in their daily diet as they are growing up. I know that lots of schools now have their own veggie patch and the children love seeing their vegetables growing.


The old Pyramid had three layers but to clarify how much of each food group should be included each day, the new one has been divided into five food groups. Thankfully it is suggested to limit salt and added sugar and the bottom layer which is the largest, is reserved for vegetables, fruit and legumes.


We are really fortunate that we can grow our own vegetables here... 


...and also have several fruit and nut trees.

 

It is also recommended to use spices and herbs instead of salt to flavour foods which suits us fine as we have quite an assortment of herbs growing.


I have been reading a lot about the benefits of eating avocados to help lower cholesterol so it is nice to see them included in the bottom layer of the Pyramid which is the eat most of section.  We have our own avocado tree as well which we share with the local wildlife. 

If you are interested you can read a brief history of the Pyramid. Also if you would like to order a poster of the Food Pyramid or a magnet for your fridge just to remind you about the five layers of food which are recommended, you can order them from Nutrition Australia. The A2 size poster is $4.95 plus postage and the A5 size magnet is $3.75 plus postage.

I wonder how many of us actually eat the recommended portions of vegetables each day. I know I don't but I know I should and I hope to change that. Do you? Come on ....'fess up!







17 comments:

  1. about time & it looks good too
    glad you are still holding on without the sugar, have you tried the extra eggs too?
    good luck
    thanx for sharing

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    Replies
    1. Hi Selina. I haven't really increased my egg intake to be honest.

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  2. The new pyramid looks great! I'm guilty, I eat way too many grains......I'd better get my act together.
    Glad your sugar stuff is going well!

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    Replies
    1. I like the grains too but I look at my kale in the garden and tell myself to just go and pick some and use it more often. Old habits die hard don't they?

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  3. I'm probably as guilty as the next person but my hubby and I compete to see how many different veggies we can cram into our meals - he's winning with 7 atm. I have taken to making a morning smoothie with kale as the base and adding various bits and pieces. I never thought I'd like it but I actually do.

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    Replies
    1. Your hubby is doing well, Barb...7 veggies. That is very good. I look at my kale and tell myself to pick some and juice it or make kale chips but so far I haven't. Naughty I know.

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  4. Very impressive. I wish that the Canadian pyramid was as good as yours!

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    Replies
    1. Jane, it is rather good, isn't it? I don't think I have seen the Canadian food pyramid.

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  5. I love vegetables, all sorts, as many as I can lay my hands on! I've found that our appreciation for veggies means that our kids don't have any problem eating them, in fact, they find it strange that some children make a fuss.
    Avocados are one of our favourites, you are so blessed to have a tree. I don't know about in your neck of the woods, but down here in Vic they can be very expensive to buy. Sometimes my husband scores a bargain with a bag of them from the Asian markets (where we buy most of our veg).
    I wanted to ask you - do you use any sugar substitutes?

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    Replies
    1. Kelly, when I make anything sweet which isn't often as I can't be bothered :-)...I use Rice Malt Syrup which is available in the supermarket. I recently bought Dextrose from Big W that is used in recipes in the books by David Gillespie of Sweet Poison fame but I haven't used any as yet and I also have some Stevia but don't really use that either. We have Stevia growing and it is so very sweet. So I guess the main sweetener would be the Rice Malt Syrup.

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    2. I actually had that book from the library recently. The reason I ask is that I do quite a bit of baking for the kids and am always interested in making healthier treats :) Thanks for the info.

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  6. I love veggies ..... especially in bubble and squeak.
    Weirdly, can you remember when the whole 'fat-gives-you-heart-attack thing first came out in the 1970's that avocados were deemed unhealthy....they changed their tune after further research (phew)

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    Replies
    1. Yes, I remember that Phil. I read the other day on a blog that you can mash up the avocados and squeeze lemon juice over them and freeze them which I will do if we get a few extra this year.

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  7. I love my veggies Chel and am happy to just have a vegetable dish as a meal, eg curried pumpkin; roasted broccoli; cauliflower in cheese sauce that sort of thing. However they are usually served as side dishes. And no, I am no way close to eating enough vegetables.

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  8. Sherri, glad I am not the only one. I am having a lot of soups and slow cooker meals these days and try to pack them with veggies although I guess they are more beneficial uncooked. But hey..it is cold down here!

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  9. Mmm avocados! Yes they do freeze pretty well mashed with lemon or made into guacamole! Make sure you eat right away after thawing as they discolor pretty fast at that point! Hubby and I are lacking in our veggie intake, it is not easy to get that many servings! It is a good thing to be challenged and reminded!

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  10. Thanks Kathy. I will give that a try when ours are ripe then we can have them year round.

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