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Main Elements Of A Healthy Eating System

Decent Essays

Nutrition is the process of using nutrients to support growth and provide energy to fulfil the daily needs of physical and mental activities (Human Nutrition, 2015, para. 1). Nutrition includes food intake, the process of food once in the body and the relation of nutrients and disease (Richard Robinson, 2002, p. 217). This essay will briefly outline the elements of a healthy eating system such as the food pyramid, then discuss the benefits and risks of a vegetarian diet and discuss a range of causes of obesity.
The food pyramid is a great guide as to what foods you should and should not be eating in order to maintain a healthy diet. The food pyramid is typically made up of five sections, categorising the different food groups into ideal portions of consumption. For example, the smallest section includes fats, oils, salts and sweets. These foods are in the smallest section of the pyramid because ideally, they should be the foods that you eat the least of. The larger sections of the pyramid include fruit, vegetable and whole grain and cereals (Ministry of Health, 2012, Smart nutrition section).
According to the American Health Association, the daily intake of whole grains is six servings, and the daily intake of fruit and vegetables is 4 to 5 servings daily (American Health Association [AHA], 2015, Suggested Servings from Each Food Group section). As you move towards the top of the food pyramid, the daily intake of the food groups reduces. For example, the recommended intake

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