The food pyramid was first formulated in 1978 by the Danish and adopted in 1992 by the United States Department of Agriculture. 2005 saw a change to the food pyramid to MyPyramid. This new pyramid is very similar to the old one, stating that the majority of the food consumed should come from grains, breads, cereals, crackers, rice and pasta. It states that if you are going to be eating something that has fat in it e.g. milk, to go with fat-free. There is also no real line for oils and fats.
More and more nutritionists and personal trainers have started implementing something quite the opposite to that of the food pyramid for fat loss. More studies have also shown that the food pyramid lacks aspects that help with losing body fat.
Carbohydrates in the form of grains, cereals, pastas, rice and breads make up the biggest proportion of the food pyramid. These tend to be high glycemic and have high glycemic loads. When consumed, these foods cause a blood sugar spike in the body. The body has to then release insulin to help curb the blood sugar spike and bring it back down to normal levels. If the body's liver and glycogen stores are full, then the excess carbohydrates will be converted to fat and stored in the body's fat stores.
I would recommend eating starchy carbohydrates such as oats, sweet potatoes and pulses earlier in the day. The body's liver and muscle glycogen levels are lower in the morning. The body can handle starchy carbohydrates better in the morning too, due the body's improved insulin sensitivity. As the body goes on, meals should be made up of fruits, vegetables, meats, fish, poultry, nuts and seeds and healthy fats.
The majority of food should come from vegetables and low glycemic fruits such as blueberries etc. Fruits and vegetables are packed with micro-nutrients such as antioxidants and minerals. Fruit and vegetables give you very low calories for the amount you can eat. They tend to be high in fiber, which has a fulfilling effect on the body. The stomach has stretch receptors, which tell the brain when you are full up. This means that you can fill up on micro-nutrient dense foods. Match this with the likes of starchy carbohydrates, where you get a lot of calories per gram of food weight.
Meat, fish and poultry are limited in the MyPyramid. Protein based foods should be the next important food after fruit and vegetables. I have competed in two bodybuilding shows whereby I have reached sub 5% body fat levels. I consumed protein based foods at every meal and recommend these foods should be consumed with every meal. Protein based foods have a high thermic effect in the body, whereby the body has to work harder and use more stored energy to help digest these foods.
Fats and oils that are naturally occurring and added, have a very minimal amount of room in MyPyramid. Fats have been shown in many studies to help the body breakdown stored body fat into a source of energy that the body can use. Meat is high in conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) which has been shown to help reduce body fat. Monounsaturated fat, which is in olive oil has also been shown to help the body release body fat and use it as energy. As part of both my bodybuilding nutrition plan, I ate a high amount of fat, about 60% of my daily calorie intake came from fat and I reached body fat levels as low of 3%.
When I suggest using this eating plan to my personal training clients, they seem a bit reluctant as they look at it and find it hard how they are going to be fulfilled by eat. By eating like this, you will automatically eat more fiber, which will make you more fulfilled.
I don't see this as a diet, more just a way of how we should be eating; as close to the ground as possible, eating from what nature can give us, and trying to eat like our Paleolithic ancestors. I tell my clients to try and avoid foods, which have been processed or made such as pastas, breads etc.
By reducing down starchy carbohydrate levels, fat intake should increase. This will give you a much more sustained level of energy release than carbohydrates. Charles Poliquin, one of the most successful strength and conditioning coaches to professional and Olympic athletes, recommends the meat and nuts breakfast. This allows the body to control blood sugar levels and gives you a sustained level of energy. The athletes he trains are some of the best in the world and if they have the energy to get through 30 hours + of training and sport, then the average desk jockey should easily get the energy from eating like this.
Not all clients implement this way of eating as it is quite a different way of eating. Even though they will add in aspects of it, the clients of mine, which completely implement this way of eating, are the ones which see massive results in body fat reduction. They also find they have more energy during the day and during their training sessions and just plain feel healthier.
