Food Pyramid

There are many different ways we can live a healthier lifestyle. Diet is one of the main ways we can look after ourselves.

There are many tools and guides available to help us do this. The Food Pyramid is one of the golden oldies and has been around since the 70’s but has since been updated. The Food Pyramid shows us how to achieve a healthy, balanced diet by  choosing the right amount of foods from the right shelf.

The shape of the Food Pyramid shows the types of foods and drinks people need to eat most for healthy eating and what we need to keep to a minimum. This week we will guide you through the Food Pyramid and tell you what it’s all about. We will also provide you with fun ways to include the Food Pyramid into your daily life. 

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Did you know? 

  • In 2016, The Department of Health made changes to the Food Pyramid placing vegetables, salad and fruit at the bottom of the pyramid. These foods are so important and should be central to all of our meals. 
  • The National Children's Food Survey II suggests that approximately 1 in 4 school aged children eat fruit and vegetables each day.
  • On average, children consume approximately 3 servings per day. This included, one serving of vegetables and two servings of fruit. 
  • The research found that about 18% of calories that children consume are from ‘top shelf' foods that are low in essential nutrients, such as biscuits, cakes, sweets and savoury snacks.
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How to apply the Food Pyramid to your daily meal

This week we have provided you with a daily meal plan using the Food Pyramid. You can use this as a guide and incorporate your own family favourites. 

Example: Billy is a very active 10 year old boy who enjoys playing soccer and loves to play outside. Billy would need 4 servings from the wholemeal, cereals and breads, potatoes pasta and rice shelf. As Billy is between the age of 9 and 18 years, he would need 5 servings from the Milk, Cheese and Yogurt shelf and 5-7 portions of fruit and vegetables, he would also need 2 servings from the meat, fish, poultry or eggs shelf. 

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Create a Homemade Food Pyramid

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The Food Dudes Healthy Eating Programme is managed by Bord Bia in Ireland and is funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine with support from the European Union under the School Fruit and Vegetables Scheme. The programme was first developed by the Food Activity Research Unit, School of Psychology at Bangor University, Wales. Copyright © 2004 © 2009 © 2013 Bangor University. University.