food guide

hi, i am kabuba a 4th year in Nutrition and Dietetics. I thought basic nutrition knowledge was common sense till my friend told me he cant buy coke zero because it has no calories. He thought calories were like vitamins or something and boy did i lol! Another friend, super smart by the way, told me that the sun gives us vitamin S complex and my jaw just dropped! i then realized that people are good at what they do but rarely have a clue about other fields of work and study. I hope that those people will get something out of this and i hope they start blogs about things i have no clue about like how to make my computer unhung and we can all benefit from each other.

Back to nutrition, today we will just look at what nutrition is. According to WHO, Nutrition is the intake of food, considered in relation to the body’s dietary needs. This means that food requirements differ from person to person depending on their age, sex, activity level, and whether they are sick or not. However, there is a standard food guide pyramid that guides normal people(meaning someone who is not sick and who's activity level is normal daily activities) on what to eat and how much to eat. food guide pyramids come in different shapes and colors but they all have the same information. here is an example of one:

The Food Guide Pyramid is an outline of what to eat each day based on the Dietary Guidelines . It's not a rigid prescription but a general guide that lets you choose a healthful diet that's right for you.The Pyramid calls for eating a variety of foods to get the nutrients you need and at the same time the right amount of calories to maintain healthy weight.

What Counts as One Serving?

The amount of food that counts as one serving is listed below. If you eat a larger portion, count it as more than 1 serving. For example, a dinner portion of spaghetti would count as 2 or 3 servings of pasta.Be sure to eat at least the lowest number of servings from the five major food groups listed below. You need them for the vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, and protein they provide. Just try to pick the lowest fat choices from the food groups. No specific serving size is given for the fats, oils, and sweets group because the message is USE SPARINGLY.

Milk, Yogurt, and Cheese

1 cup of milk or yogurt

1 1/2 ounces of natural cheese

2 ounces of process cheese

Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans, Eggs, and Nuts

2-3 ounces of cooked lean meat, poultry, or fish

1/2 cup of cooked dry beans, 1 egg, or 2 tablespoons of peanut butter count as 1 ounce of lean meat

Vegetable

1 cup of raw leafy vegetables

1/2 cup of other vegetables, cooked or chopped raw

3/4 cup of vegetable juice

Fruit

1 medium apple, banana, orange

1/2 cup of chopped, cooked, or canned fruit

3/4 cup of fruit juice

Bread, Cereal, Rice, and Pasta

1 slice of bread

1 ounce of ready-to-eat cereal

1/2 cup of cooked cereal, rice, or pasta

I know i haven't answered why coke zero is zero or how we don't get vitamin s complex from the sun but i hope we will get to that soon. 

Adios for now hope i helped at least one person understand nutrition better.