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Page 10
| Other Pyramid Schemes |
| When U.S. researchers began examining the diets of other countries with lower rates of heart disease and cancer, they helped instigate a new, more global approach to eating. Americans paid attention to the news that people in Asian and Mediterranean countries were living longer, healthier lives. As a result, there's been a gradual shift toward new foods and new ways of cooking. It's no longer heresy to admit that our way of eating isn't necessarily the best way. |
| At the same time, many people began experimenting with vegetarianismeither going whole hog (so to speak) or incorporating aspects of vegetarian cooking into their diets. Avoiding meat became not just a political choice but a health choice. |
| Alternative diets now have their own food pyramids, which share some traits with the USDA's version, but diverge in important ways. The main difference is that these alternative plans limit consumption of meat or dairy, or both, to a few times a monthor not at all. Instead, they emphasize legumes, nuts, and (except for the vegetarian pyramid) fish, all foods proved to pack a disease-fighting wallop. And both the Asian and vegetarian pyramids incorporate daily exercise. |
| All the pyramids work from bottom to top: you should choose most of your foods from the base and eat less as you near the peak. |
| WHAT MATTERS, WHAT DOESN'T |
| What Matters |
| Eating at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Choosing whole-grain, fiber-rich complex carbohydrates to meet your grain quota. Avoiding excess fat. |
| What Doesn't |
| Rigidly adhering to the USDA's food guide pyramid; healthy alternatives are offered by the Asian, Mediterranean, and vegetarian pyramids. |
| The Asian Way |
| Advantages of the Asian Food Plan |
| Fish, nuts, seeds, and beans (including super-healthy soybeans and soy products) are the main protein source, rather than dairy or meat, which |
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