The food pyramid you should be following

Most Australians are quite familiar with the Healthy Eating Pyramid. It was first developed by Nutrition Australia in 1980 to introduce the population to the concepts of nutrition, using labels like ‘eat more’ and ‘eat less’.

When the first pyramid was produced, it was the height of the ‘fat-free’ craze, when fat was seen as a key culprit in heart disease and bad health. We were told to restrict dietary fat to less than 30 per cent of total calories, and to eat more vegetables, fruit, bread and cereals.

1980

Over the years, the pyramid evolved to change with our growing understanding of nutrition, with the latest version launched in 2015.

But despite nearly forty years of evolving, we’re still getting fatter, and fat itself is still seen as the enemy. So what are we doing wrong?

I believe that there’s a different type of pyramid we should be following for a healthier weight and lifestyle – the ketogenic pyramid. This low-carb diet places vegetables and healthy fats in the ‘eat more’ category, quality protein in the moderate category, and restricts the intake of carbohydrates and sugars.

Proven benefits of a Ketogenic diet:

1. Reduced appetite

2. Greater weight loss

3. Great loss of VAT

4. Triglycerides drop

5. HDL rises

6. Reduced blood sugar and insulin

7. Reduced blood pressure

8. Therapeutic for some brain disorders – studies have found that in children, ketogenic diets can result in improved seizure control, relative to modern antiepileptic drugs.

9. Cancer support – there is some evidence to suggest that a Keto diet can be used as an effective adjuvant therapy for cancer, as it increases the oxidative stress inside cancer cells by reducing the amount of glucose in the blood that cancer cells feed on.

We can help you begin your journey to better health through an individualised Ketogenic diet plan, with all the help and support you need to get you through. Find out more about why our weight loss program is different on our blog.

Whether or not you’re ready to go “full keto”, I certainly think there’s one lesson that can be learnt from this pyramid – eat less sugar and carbs, eat more quality protein and healthy fats. The days of fat being the enemy are well and truly over! Enjoy delicious avocado, coconut oil, olives and much, much more.

If you want to learn more about nutrition for healthy living or weight loss and would like some advice, book a free 15min phone chat with a qualified Naturopath. Click here to book now.