MyPyramid Recommendations

www.mypyramid.gov is a USDA website all about the new food pyramid, "MyPramid". It includes a number of free, interactive tools to help the general population learn how to eat for optimal health. One of these is the"MyPyramid Plan", which gives general daily food recommendations based on age, sex, height, weight, and physical activity level.

As I go forward with my "14 days, no repeats" challenge, I will base my daily food intake on my own MyPyramid recommendations (120 lb, 27 year old female who exercises an average of 60 minutes per day). This translates to:

7 ounces grains
2 cups fruits
3 cups vegetables
3 cups milk
6 ounces meat and beans
up to 6 teaspoons oils per day
up to 290 discretionary Calories per day

Portion sizes for each food group recommendation can be found right on the site. Discretionary Calories are your "extra allowance"...you may use discretionary Calories to...
1. Eat more foods from any food group than the food guide recommends.
2. Eat higher calorie forms of foods—those that contain solid fats or added sugars. Examples are whole milk, cheese, sausage, biscuits, sweetened cereal, and sweetened yogurt.
3. Add fats or sweeteners to foods. Examples are sauces, salad dressings, sugar, syrup, and butter.
4. Eat or drink items that are mostly fats, caloric sweeteners, and/or alcohol, such as candy, soda, wine, and beer.
(source: www.mypyramid.gov)

I encourage everyone to calculate his/her own MyPyramid Plan recommendations and change the portion sizes I lay out for each day of food for the next 2 weeks accordingly!