Diet and Health Pyramid

There is no "standard dietary health pyramid" that is suitable for everyone. The core logic of all universal versions is to "prioritize eating natural low-processed foods, control the intake of refined sugar, excessive salt and highly processed foods, and ultimately match the individual's physical condition and living habits. The pyramid is the healthiest version for you.

Many people were first exposed to this concept from the 1992 USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) version of the pyramid printed in school textbooks: the bottom layer is grains, and it is recommended to eat 6-11 servings a day. The upper layers are vegetables, fruits, meat, eggs, and milk, and the top layer is oil, sugar, and salt. Many people have criticized this version in recent years, saying that it was lobbying by grain capital that raised the share of refined grains so high, which is not an injustice. After all, when the USDA later updated its version, it also specifically raised the share of whole grains and added an additional reminder to "control total calories and reduce the intake of refined grains." To be honest, if you grab the "fake whole wheat bread" with shortening and high fructose syrup when you catch the early subway train, even if you have enough grains, it is essentially considered to be in the top category of highly processed foods. It is normal to eat it as it is.

To say that the most recognized one in the academic circles now is the Mediterranean diet pyramid, the interesting thing is that the bottom layer is not food, but "daily physical activity + dining with relatives and friends", and even the emotions of eating are included in health considerations. Next up are whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, legumes and nuts. Olive oil is the main source of fat. It is recommended to eat fish, shrimp and poultry twice a week. Red meat is only recommended to be eaten occasionally. The top layer is refined sugar and processed meat products. Last year, I helped a relative whose triglycerides exceeded the standard adjust his diet. I followed this framework and replaced the white rice he usually ate with half with mixed grains, lard with olive oil, and stewed fish twice a week. He also cooperated with walking 5,000 steps a day, and the three-month reexamination index dropped by almost half. For ordinary people without special diseases, adjusting in this direction will basically not lead to pitfalls.

Of course, there are also versions for special needs, such as the exclusive pyramid for vegetarian groups, which replaces the positions of meat, eggs and milk in the ordinary version with soy products and fermented vegetarian food, and specifically indicates the need for additional vitamin B12 supplements - don’t underestimate this reminder. There is a little girl next to me who has followed the trend of vegetarianism for half a year. She always gets black eyes when she squats down and stands up. After a check, she was deficient in B12, and it took two months to recover. There is also the popular "high-protein pyramid" in the fitness circle, which directly moves high-quality protein (eggs, fish, shrimp, lean beef) to the bottom, and then low-GI vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. Refined sugar and highly processed foods are still at the top. It is very friendly to young people in the muscle-building period and fitness enthusiasts with fast metabolism. However, if you have problems with your kidney function and continue to eat, you are simply burdening yourself.

The most controversial thing is definitely the ketogenic/low-carb diet pyramid, which throws carbs directly to the top. The bottom is full of high-quality fats such as avocados, nuts, and animal fats, and the top is protein. The daily carb intake is controlled within 50 grams. I have met patients with polycystic disease and insulin resistance who have indeed improved their menstruation and blood sugar indicators through this adjustment. However, there are also people who have been eating blindly for half a year, and their uric acid and blood lipids have directly soared to exceed the standard. The academic community has not yet reached a conclusion on the long-term impact of this dietary pattern. If you really need it, it is best to try it under the guidance of a doctor or a registered dietitian, and don’t speculate on your own.

A while ago, a netizen sent me a message, saying that she followed the pyramid on the Internet and ate brown rice all the time, and suffered acid reflux every day for three months. After asking, I found out that she had chronic gastritis. The dietary fiber in brown rice was too thick, which was too heavy on her gastric mucosa. Later, she replaced one-third of the brown rice with mild grains such as millet and yam, and she felt better soon. You see, the pyramid is never a rigid rule carved in stone, it is just a reference for you to build a framework.

Oh, by the way, don’t think of the food on the top as a scourge, what’s the big deal? Last week, my friend and I went to eat fried skewers with iced Coke. As long as we don’t eat them every day, it’s perfectly fine to eat them once a week or two. A healthy diet is about the long-term overall structure, not "breaking the diet" in one or two meals. If you are so anxious that you can't sleep after taking a bite of cake, that will be more harmful to the body than eating the cake itself.

After all, is there any standard answer that is universally applicable? If you take a general framework, combine it with your own tastes, basic diseases, and work rhythm, eat comfortably, and have normal physical examination indicators every year, then it will be the healthiest diet pyramid that is exclusive to you.