The Food Pyramid That Works
Please note that corn is a grain and peas are legumes, not vegetables. Also, peanuts are legumes, not nuts.
The suggested food pyramid is a common sense approach to consuming healthy whole foods instead of processed or refined foods. Plant and animal sources are supplemented with side sources such as dairy, nuts & seeds, whole grains, and legumes, along with spices, herbs, cocoa and honey for nutritional palatability.
It's A Lifestyle
Maintaining a healthy diet shouldn't be temporary and should be a lifestyle. You will see great results by eating more whole foods instead of pre-packaged or processed foods. As soon as you trade it for high-glycemic refined carbohydrates, processed foods, and man-made oils, your health and results will deteriorate. A lifestyle means sticking to a diet for life that will give you long-term positive mental and physical benefits.
Food Intolerances and Allergic Reactions
Food intolerances, which include heartburn, cramps, and diarrhea, are commonly found in corn products, dairy, and wheat gluten. Despite coeliac disease affecting only a small percentage of the population, wheat sensitivity is common. Also, some individuals are allergic to peanuts, eggs, milk, fish, soy, shellfish, soy, tree nuts, and wheat.
For Health and Lean Mass
The healthiest foods are primarily from plants and animals. These type of foods help your body to partition energy for steady nutrient intake instead of fat storage. They contain complete amino acids to build muscle and essential fatty acids for your brain. High quality foods are required to sustain and promote life.
Nutrition: Plant and animal sources are the most dense macronurient and micronutrient sources, and together will fulfill the daily nutritional requirements in the fewest calories. Vegetables and fruit are abundant with vitamins, minerals, and fiber, while meats and oils will cover your protein and essential fats requirements, bioavailability of crucial vitamins, and additional vitamins and minerals (such as commonly deficient iron).
A diet rich in meats, eggs, fish, vegetables, and fruits have been known to contribute to weight loss, prevent cardiovascular disease, type-2 diabetes, stroke, cancer, acne, and tooth decay. Many body and mental health ailments can be prevented or alleviated.
Energy Density: Vegetables are very low in calories and contrary to popular belief, meats, seafood and eggs can be relatively low in energy density. For example, 1 Cinnabon is the caloric equivalent of 19 slices of bacon, or 13 eggs, or 63 extra large shrimp, or 1 huge 12 oz steak. Even though animal fats and oil are very high in energy density, only small amounts should be used for cooking or flavour. For comparison, 1 tbsp of butter has less calories than 1 can of Coca-Cola.
Satiety: Since protein, fiber and water contribute to satiety, plant (fiber and water) and animal (protein) sources reduce appetite and hunger, and thus promote the feeling of fullness to prevent overeating.
Note on Grains
While the idea of reducing grains is unconventional in a Western diet, it contributes to overconsumption. Grains such as wheat flour, corn, and rice contain little nutrients relative to calories, and contain incomplete proteins. Whole grains also contain antinutrients such as phytic acid and lectins (as are found in nuts and seeds) and thus should be consumed in moderation. In addition, while corn products can be inflammatory, wheat gluten has been shown to contribute to inflammation, obesity, and insulin resistance. Rice, however, given its neutrality is an acceptable starchy source and is encouraged for consumption.
While grains are fair in fiber content, more fiber per calorie can be obtained from vegetables and fruits such as leafy greens, bell peppers, carrots, apples, oranges, and bananas. For example, two slices of bread contain the same amount of dietary fiber as one apple or one banana. Nuts, seeds, and legumes are other sources of fiber.
The Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity Explained
The main problem is not fat; the main problem are sweets and flour-based products that encourage added sugar and fats.
The obesity epidemic and modern diseases such as cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes, and cancer, are largely due to the common Western diet—where hyperpalatable, cheap, fast, and easy comes packaged in sweet, salty, or fried. The consumption of nutrient-poor and incomplete protein food sources that contribute to malnourishment and overeating are refined carbohydrates such as sugars, wheat-, and corn-based products and fat sources such as high omega-6 seed oils.
Nutrition: Sugar, made up of 50% glucose and 50% fructose, and refined carbohydrates are considered "empty calories." Refined carbohydrates, especially fructose, can contribute to cancer growth.
We currently don't consume enough omega-3 fatty acids and consume significantly more omega-6 from fried foods and seed oils, where the typical ratio can be as high as 1:25 omega-3 to omega-6 when the ratio should be closer to 1:1 or 1:2.
Energy Density: Wheat flour is typically mixed with high energy density sugar and fat to create baked products, which contains a massive amount of calories that can be consumed in one sitting. For example, a dish of fettuccine alfredo pasta is 1200 calories, a 12" medium cheese pizza is 1920 calories, and a plain Belgian waffle without the butter and syrup is still 410 calories. Even worse, easily consumable high calorie beverages such as juice, mixed coffee, pop/soda, and beer can quickly add up to double your entire day's caloric total. A milkshake can go over 1500 calories.
Satiety: Nutrient-poor refined carbohydrates are extremely low in protein, water, and fiber, and coupled with hyperpalatability (sweet, salty, or fried), it is easy to overeat. Sugar can be addictive as it target the pleasure centres in the brain. A glass of orange juice is very different from an orange. Orange juice is missing the fiber and has extra sugar added for more total calories while the fiber in an orange slowly releases the natural sugars instead of a blood sugar spike. While being lower in calories, the fiber in an orange also helps with the feeling of fullness. Satiety can be compared where it is harder to eat 8 eggs than it is to eat 2 doughnuts despite having the same amount of calories. It has also been hypothesized that the body craves nutrients and will overeat to reach nutritional requirements.
Many seemingly innocuous products actually have sugar added, especially products that make "low fat" claims, such as BBQ sauces, fruit drinks, yogurt, peanut butter, dried fruit, tomato sauce, salad dressing, and granola. Also, you don't necessarily have to be overweight to be considered unhealthy: you can be thin by consuming low-quality foods in fewer calories than you expend (malnourishment).
