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Nutrition towers are pyramid structures representing the necessary food intake. Understanding the concept of nutrition towers will help you build a healthy eating regimen for yourself!
Nutrition towers are clearly tiered, indicating the required food consumption for an adult within a month. These towers are segmented into different food groups, representing standard nutritional levels and a balanced diet, aiding in maintaining good health and preventing illnesses.
What is a nutrition tower?
Nutrition towers are dietary models resembling a pyramid, providing information about the average amount of food consumed in a month. It represents the standard nutritional intake divided into different food groups. To maintain long-term health and effectively prevent illnesses, nutrition experts recommend relying on the nutrition tower to plan and establish a balanced diet.
Nutrition tower for adults in a month
The importance of a balanced nutrition tower
Regardless of your profession, location, or age, nutrition towers play an extremely important role in establishing and maintaining healthy eating habits and balance for you.
Enhance your eating habits
Many individuals aspire to adopt a healthier diet but struggle with where to begin. A nutritional pyramid can guide you on which foods to increase and which ones to cut back on.
In addition, alongside the nutritional pyramid, a plate model also encourages you to consume more fruits and vegetables, as food groups are divided into four main portions, with one-quarter allocated for fruits and one-quarter for vegetables.
Encourage healthy eating habits
Print out an image of a nutritional pyramid or a plate model and stick it on your fridge in the kitchen, somewhere at the office, or wherever you frequently see it. This can motivate you to adopt healthy eating habits, reminding you of the types of foods you've consumed and what you need to include in your next meal. For instance, if your breakfast lacked dairy, the nutritional pyramid or plate model will remind you to have a light meal such as yogurt or incorporate low-fat milk during lunch.
The layers of a balanced nutritional pyramid
A balanced nutritional pyramid for adults consists of 7 layers: salt, sugar, fats, proteins, various fruits, green vegetables, and grains divided into 5 groups with specific average indices below. The quantity of food groups is clearly represented in the nutritional pyramid. Food groups at the top of the pyramid should be limited, while those at the bottom allow for more consumption.
To achieve robust health and prevent illnesses, experts recommend relying on a nutritional pyramid to establish a sensible eating regimen
Grains group
This is the primary source of energy, accounting for 60% – 65% of the total energy intake of adults. Calculations show that every 1g of carbohydrate provides 4 kcal of energy. This group encompasses various foods: cereals, potatoes, sweet potatoes, bread, rice, noodles, glutinous rice, corn,... Among these, rice is the staple food in Vietnamese households. You can also opt for whole grains (brown rice, oats, and quinoa), bread, pasta, unprocessed cereals, and refined cereal products.
Fruits and vegetables group
This group dominates the nutritional pyramid. The simple reason is that we should build a diet rich in plant-based foods (about 70% of the diet).
Plant-based foods contain abundant nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Moreover, vegetables, fruits, roots, and seeds are also primary sources of carbohydrates and fiber in the diet. Among these, children, adolescents, and adults should consume at least 2 servings of fruit and 5 servings of vegetables or legumes every day.
Protein-rich food group
The middle tier of the nutritional pyramid includes milk, yogurt, cheese, lean meats, poultry, fish, eggs, nuts, and legume food groups.
Foods in the dairy, yogurt, and cheese group mainly provide calcium, protein, along with various vitamins and minerals. This food group includes soybeans, rice, or cereals with at least 100 mg/100 ml of calcium. You should choose low-fat options within this food group to limit the intake of excess calories from fats.
Foods in the lean meats, poultry, fish, eggs, nuts, and grains group are the primary sources of protein. However, each food also provides a mix of nutrients, including iodine, iron, zinc, vitamin B12, and healthy fats.
Oils and fats group
This group comprises healthy fats as you need a small amount of these fats each day to support heart and brain functions. The group of fats provides humans with ample energy and acts as solvents to facilitate the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins easily. Among these, important vitamins such as vitamin A, D, E, and K must be mentioned. You should choose foods containing healthy fats, such as pure olive oil, seed oil instead of foods containing saturated fats.
Additionally, you can supply fats to your body by consuming foods like butter and various types of nuts.
Sugar, salt group
Sugar and salt are substances that need to be limited in daily food intake. Excessive salt intake can lead to adverse effects on blood pressure and kidneys. When cooking, seasoning your food with salt is still necessary, but it should be used in small amounts.
Similar to salt, sugar is the second restricted group. In a month, we should consume a maximum of 500g of sugar. Exceeding this amount can lead to risks of diabetes, overweight, obesity, etc. Instead, you should befriend natural sugars from fruits, vegetables, and limit the amount of sugar in processed foods such as fast food, sweets, soft drinks, etc.
Considerations when building a menu based on the nutritional pyramid
Enhance with herbs and spices
Herbs and spices add exquisite flavors to food. Moreover, many herbs and spices can also enhance health. However, we tend to eat very few types of foods accompanied by the main dish, so they can only contribute to the taste and color of the meal.
You should cook with fresh or dried herbs, spices to enhance your enjoyment of homemade meals without needing to use salt when cooking or eating.
Stay hydrated
Water is the best beverage to maintain and support many essential functions in the body. You should drink plenty of mineral water and avoid sugary drinks such as soft drinks, sports drinks, and energy drinks.
Customize menus for different groups
Based on the nutritional pyramid, you can flexibly adjust the dosage to suit each stage of development or characteristics of each individual. For example, during the weaning period, mothers should not feed too much because breast milk is still the main source of nutrition. Thin individuals may have their own nutritional pyramid with mandatory nutrient groups, but the quantity of each nutrient differs from normal individuals. Similarly, special groups such as malnourished children, pregnant women, weight loss seekers, diabetics,... should flexibly adjust their diets based on a balanced nutritional pyramid to achieve optimal health.
Combine nutrition and exercise
A balanced diet combined with regular exercise brings us a healthy and resilient body. Moderation in eating combined with exercise brings long-term effectiveness instead of rigidly following nutritional advice.
Researchers suggest that adding 15 minutes of exercise daily can extend your lifespan by 3 years. If you can't exercise regularly at the gym, you can participate in other healthy physical activities and sports such as tennis, swimming, or enjoy walking in the park with your pet.
Depending on age and individual, there will be a specific nutritional pyramid
In reality, many people want to build a healthy eating regimen but don't know where to start. The nutritional pyramid will guide you in determining your body's dietary needs and provide suggestions based on the imagery in the pyramid of which foods to consume and limit.
