5 Building Steps of a Food Pyramid You Should Know

A food pyramid is a graphical representation of a balanced diet that comprises of all the required nutrients.  It can be divided into four or more steps where each of the steps shows the daily requirement of different food groups. From bottom to top the food groups also vary with the amount of their daily requirement. While food group in the bottom step is required in greater amounts, the foods in the top step are required to a very smaller extent.

The 4 steps of food pyramid that we Indian diet generally follows are

A typical Indian food pyramid

Step 1- Whole grains 

Grains form a very important part of our daily diet. They are found to be helping in reducing risks of cardiovascular diseases as well as gastrointestinal health issues. Major whole grains that are advised are- Quinoa, Barley, and Millets.

Step 2- Fruits and Vegetables

These are important because they contain most of the vitamins and minerals required by our body. Including them into our diet is also very easy and helpful. Hence, you will feel less hungry too. Fruits that you can include are - apple, stone fruits, berries etc. And veggies like green leafy vegetables, cucumber, zucchini should be included.

Fruits included into Food Pyramid

Adding a fruit bowl or a bow of vegetable salad can be sources of Vitamins A, C, E as well as well as they can be stomach-filling. 

Vegetables to be included into Food Pyramid

Step 3- Milk products and meats

Milk and its products are the sources of proteins, carbs, and minerals as well as good fat that we require. Again, meats and fishes are rich in proteins that not just help in the growth of our body but also keeps us full for a long time. Tuna, Salmon, Tofu,Yogurt, Milk, Eggs are some important protein sources.

Step 4- Ghee, coconut oil, fats, and sweets

This forms the topmost step of our food pyramid. Although required, we should keep the amount of these food sources low.