Climb to Healthier Heights with MyPyramid and Meijer

Meijer wants to celebrate its 75 years of service by providing you with a variety of resources and tools to help you make healthier choices for you and your family.  Let Meijer help you understand MyPyramid. In addition to NuVal, MyPyramid is a tool that can help assist you in getting the most nutrition out of your shopping trips. MyPyramid is based on the 2005 Dietary Guidelines and the Dietary Reference Intakes. It takes a personal approach to healthy eating and physical activity.

MyPyramid illustrates four main themes:

Activity: The steps on the side of the pyramid represent activity. Try to include physical activity each day. Wear a pedometer to keep track of your progress. It is also important to stay refreshed during exercise. To keep your body cool, drink plenty of water or Fruit 2 0 to stay hydrated. For more intense physical activity, try Gatorade Fruit Punch or Propel Peach Mango fitness water to stay energized.

Moderation: The narrowing of each food group from bottom to top represents moderation. The wide base represents foods that contain little or no solid fats or added sugars (foods with higher NuVal scores), while the narrow top stands for foods that contain added sugars and solid fats (foods with lower NuVal scores). To help reduce your added sugar intake, cook with Splenda or sprinkle it on top of fruit or drinks. Or try diet version of sodas in moderation, including Diet Canada Dry Ginger Ale.

Variety: The different colors in the pyramid stand for variety. We need foods from all of the food groups in our meal plan every day for good health. Look below for more specific information on healthier choices in each food group.

Proportionality: The different widths of the food groups represent different proportions. This is a general guide that shows us how much food we should be getting from each group. Try to include more foods from whole grains, fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products.

Let The Colors Help

In addition to the in-store NuVal guidance system, use MyPyramid to help you make healthier choices from each food group. Both programs emphasize nutrient-rich foods. Use these tips when shopping at your local Meijer:

Grains (orange)

·         Eat at least 3 ounces of whole grain bread, cereal, crackers, rice, or pasta every day. Meijer has a variety of choices – 100% whole wheat bread, brown rice, whole wheat pasta and Nabisco Triscuits.

·         Look for “whole” before the grain name on the list of ingredients on a food product.

Vegetables (green)

·         Eat more dark green vegetables. These nutrition-packed, colorful choices may help lower the risk of some cancers, improve vision health and help make stronger bones and teeth. Toss organic broccoli into pasta dishes or enjoy salads made with Dole Family Greener & Classic Romaine Salad.

·         Eat more orange vegetables to help with heart health, vision health, a healthy immune system and possibly lower the risk of some cancers.

·         Eat more dry beans and peas. These delicious choices are great sources of protein and fiber with very little fat.

Fruits (red)

·         Eat a variety of fruit. Pick up a new fruit each week to include in your meals and snacks.

·         Choose fresh, frozen, dried or canned fruit. The different forms “count” to help you get your nutrition each day.

·         Choose 100% fruit juices, such as Simply Orange Orange Juice.

Oils (yellow)

·         Make most of your fat sources from fish, nuts, and vegetable oils. Canola oil and Pompeian Extra Virgin Olive oils are great choices.

·         Limit solid fats such butter, stick margarine, shortening, and lard.

Milk (blue) 

·         Go low-fat or fat-free. Milk, yogurt and cheese are all delicious and provide our bodies with protein and calcium. Some products, such as the Dannon Activia yogurts, have an additional benefit of improving your digestive system.

·         If you don’t or can’t consume milk, choose lactose-free products or other calcium sources.

Meat and Beans (purple) 

·         Choose low-fat or lean meats and poultry. Try pork tenderloin, Valley Fresh White Chicken, or lean ground beef. 

·         Bake it, broil it or grill it. Experiment with different techniques for different food items. The variety will keep your tastebuds engaged.

·         Vary your choices – with more fish, beans, peas, nuts, such as Planters NUTrition Heart Healthy Light Salt mix, and seeds.

Health Tidbits

Other “bites” of health knowledge to help you make healthier choices to improve your health:

Consume less than 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day (approximately 1 teaspoon of salt).

o   Choose and prepare foods with little salt. Look for low sodium or reduced sodium products such as Low Sodium Ritz Crackers. When cooking or grilling, try Mrs. Dash to season your food without adding additional sodium.

o   Consume potassium-rich foods including fruits and vegetables.