There are other food pyramids which make other recommendations, such as the Harvard School of Public Health Food Pyramid which includes exercise on the bottom base layer.
The American Diabetes Association now has its own Diabetes Food Pyramid which helps diabetics plan a healthy diet.
Six Food Groups
There are six groups which make up the diabetes pyramid. These include grains and starches, vegetables, fruits, milk and dairy products, meat and meat substitutes and a final group consisting of fats, sweets, and alcohol. The most servings come from grains and starches and the fewest from fats, sweets and alcohol.
The diabetes pyramid suggests a range of servings. Obviously, you should choose the one which is most applicable to your calorie and diabetes nutrition goals. Calories can range from 1600 to 2000. As a rule of thumb, most women fall at the lower end of the calorie spectrum and most men at the higher end.
One of the differences between the Diabetes Food Pyramid and other nutritional pyramids is that foods are grouped together by their content of carbohydrates and proteins. Vegetables with high amounts of starches are listed in the grains and beans group instead of the vegetable group. Cheese becomes a meat and not a milk product. Plus, serving sizes vary too. For instance, the fruit juice serving is only a half cup and not three/fourths of a cup such as in other pyramids.
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