Eating the right amounts of the right foods is an essential part of appropriate weight management. Adopting a healthy lifestyle can dramatically reduce your risk for developing certain types of illness, including heart disease and diabetes.

With so many wonderful foods readily and easily available, it can be hard to know what foods are best for you. To help Americans understand the components of a healthful diet, the United States government created the food pyramid to serve as a guide. Now officials are considering refining this tool to make it easier to understand and to reflect new nutritional research.

“Our collective knowledge of food and how our bodies use it has changed over the years. One of the things we know now that we didn’t know before is that some types of fats (monounsaturated) are actually more beneficial than we realized,” explains Marie Acebo, a Dietitian with the Lancaster General Diabetes & Nutrition Center.

In its current form, the food pyramid lists recommended daily serving amounts of the food groups. When you eat a variety of foods in the proper serving size, your body absorbs essential nutrients to optimize function.

The pyramid divides food into groups and levels. Breads, cereals, rice and pasta form the grain group – the base of the pyramid. Fruits and vegetables, which contain valuable vitamins, minerals and fiber, come next. Most people should increase their intake of these two food groups, says Deborah Martin, RN, M.Ed., Education & Wellness Center Educator with the LEARN weight management program. “People rarely eat five vegetables a day,” she explains.

After fruits and veggies come milk and meats, which provide protein, calcium, iron and zinc. Yogurt and cheese fall into the milk group while poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs and nuts are in the meat category. Finally, fats, oils and sweets form the smallest segment of the food pyramid. These foods are high in calories and low in nutritional value. Health professionals recommend eating fats, oils and sweets sparingly.

Although the food pyramid offers sensible suggestions, it is important to remember that nutrition is not a one-size-fits-all proposition.

“Your nutritional needs are as unique as your fingerprint,” explains Marie. Activity level, age, lifestyle and other health issues can influence your daily requirements.

For example, if you work out several times a week for 30 minutes or more, you need extra calories. Calories provide the energy that your body uses during exercise. But if you do not lead an active lifestyle and eat too much, your body stores the excess calories as fat, which can lead to weight gain and, ultimately, to other health concerns.

Maintaining an active lifestyle plays a crucial role in your good health. “It’s important to combine watching what you eat with activity. Some people say activity should be at the center or the base of the food pyramid because it’s integral to a healthy balance,” says Rosemary Search, RN, BSN, Education & Wellness Center Educator with the Shapedown program.

If you think you could benefit by taking a closer look at your own diet and exercise patterns, Lancaster General offers several programs to help you get started. You won’t find quick fixes or dramatic promises, but you will find knowledgeable professionals who care about your health.

While each program is unique, all emphasize practicing portion control, reading nutrition labels and exploring the connection between food and emotions. In some programs, participants use food diaries to record what they eat and drink. These diaries offer valuable insight into the primary areas a person most needs to change.

“In a successful weight management program, you need to identify your high-risk eating patterns, determine what you can do and commit to making the necessary changes,” Deborah explains.

If you are interested in developing a healthy diet and lifestyle, meet with your doctor to discuss the program that best suits you

• LEARN (Lifestyles, Exercise, Attitude, Relationships, Nutrition): Designed for adults, LEARN teaches participants how to lose weight sensibly and keep it off. LEARN emphasizes lifestyle changes, not fad diets or fitness crazes. For information about the next session, call 544-3138.
• Shapedown: Designed for children and young adults. This nationally-recognized interdisciplinary program brings parents (or guardians) and children together to help develop lasting healthy eating and activity patterns. For an informational bookmark, call 544-3145.
• Diabetes & Nutrition Center: Individualized counseling for all ages. Dietitians work one-on-one to assess the changes a person needs to make in his or her diet and lifestyle. Dietitians address both overeating and undereating. For more information, call 544-5923.
• Over 50 & Fit: Exercise program for men and women over 50 years of age that meets regularly at the Lancaster General Health Campus for walks. Call 544-3138 to join.
• Achieving & Maintaining Weight Loss: Fun and instructive book and CD-ROM that helps individuals learn how to lose weight. Bruce Pokorney, MD, Senior Vice President of Medical Affairs at Lancaster General Hospital and physician with Regional Gastroenterology Associates of Lancaster, wrote the book after recognizing the severe health consequences of obesity.