The vegetarian food pyramid was developed by the USDA in the same way that the traditional USDA food pyramid was developed in order to help people understand what foods (and how much of each food) they should be eating daily. By following these recommendations, you can ensure that you are getting proper nutrition and eating a balanced diet that will allow your body to function at its best capacity. Here’s how to follow the USDA guidelines for a healthy diet:
Step 1: Access the Food Pyramid
You can locate a copy of the USDA Vegetarian Food Pyramid online to get a visual idea of what you should be eating. Print this out or save it at your computer for easy reference. Look it over and understand the different food groups - whole grains, vegetables, fruits, legumes, milk and milk products and oils.
Step 2: Start a Food Journal
Begin your food journal by tracking what you are currently eating, as well as what you begin eating as you follow the food pyramid’s suggestions. By keeping track of your food intake on a daily basis, it will be a lot easier to follow the recommended guidelines. Remember that it is not completely necessary that you consume these exact foods every day, but instead you should average this amount daily over the course of about a week. For example, one day if you eat more dairy, the next you may not want to eat as much. By keeping track in a journal, you can better see the big picture, which is more important in the long run.
Step 3: Plan Your Meals
Use your same food journal to also begin planning out your meals. There are many online resources on the USDA Food Pyramid site that can offer some insight into what a healthy day’s meal plan looks like. By looking at some sample meal plans that follow the vegetarian food pyramid, you should be able to construct a meal plan for yourself that includes a good variety of the foods necessary on the vegetarian pyramid. Write these meals down, and be sure to include some healthy snacks as well.
Step 4: Go Shopping and Cook Your Food
You should then go shopping with you meal plan in hand to get all the ingredients for your meals (for about one week). By planning appropriately for about a week, and shopping at one time, you are more organized and more likely to stick to the recommendations because you will have the foods accessible at your fingertips. Prepare your foods and enjoy!
Try to plan your meals on a weekly basis to really get the most of out the vegetarian food pyramid in the beginning. Once you do this for awhile, you will know how much of each food group you should be eating and won’t have to think about it. Including lots of fruits, vegetables and whole grains into your diet daily is the biggest key to a healthy vegetarian diet.
