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Kids
The Food Pyramid is the simplest guide to eating right. Sometimes, simplicity is the hardest of all virtues to achieve. Perhaps you have seen the Food Pyramid 150 times, or maybe you have only seen the Food Pyramid once or twice. Regardless, once you have gone through the Food Pyramid’s details (see diagram), ask yourself if you follow this guide to nutrition , even on a loose basis.
Using the Food Pyramid as a guide to good nutrition is a matter of using common sense. We tie our shoes because we know a loose lace may cause us to trip. We don’t open doors in moving cars because we know this is dangerous. We don’t poke our fingers in electrical sockets because this could injure us. When we cross the street, we look both ways. These are just some of the things we do every day to avoid injury, whether we are aware of them or not. In the case of crossing the street, when we reach a certain age, we no longer say to ourselves, "I have to look both ways before I cross the street." We look both ways before crossing a street because we have developed this simple, healthy habit.

Can the same be said for following the Food Pyramid? For example, if we skip breakfast because there’s no time for breakfast, can we then say the same about crossing the street? Are we in such a hurry to cross a street that we won’t look both ways? Common sense would say that no matter how much in a hurry we are, we will look both ways before crossing a street. The same common sense should apply to breakfast and following the Food Pyramid.

The Food Pyramid is simple, but many of us ignore it. The Food Pyramid does not prohibit sweets and other snacks, it suggests that these foods should be eaten less than grains, pastas, rices, vegetables, fruits, dairy and proteins. Having a cheeseburger, fries and soda is okay, just as long as you have some cereal, fruit, vegetables and maybe rice during the day as well. There’s no crime in eating a pack of candy, but if all you eat are fries, cheeseburgers, soda and candy, then you may be setting yourself up for being run over by a truck later on in life.

Following the Food Pyramid and making sure you eat breakfast, lunch and dinner are the paths to good health. Countless studies have proven that eating right improves mental and physical life. Higher grades and better athletic performance are directly linked to eating right. This is not to say if you eat right you may become the next Albert Einstein or Michael Jordan, but your chances increase if you do!

These studies have been conducted by government agencies and universities, yet you don’t need to be a government expert or scientist to understand eating right is right for you. You only need to exercise a little common sense, the very thing you do each day as you cross a street.

For food safety tips, click here.
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