The Food Pyramid

Astrogeek

My idea of a healthy diet has always been simply watch how much sweets/cake I eat.
I wouldn't last as a full on "health-freak" as I wouldn't really last too long not allowing myself sweets and chocolate.

But I'd love to know, what should I be eating if I did want to have the "perfect" healthy diet.
I'm female, 19 and guessing I do about median intensity in the gym about 3/4 times a week. (Comparing myself to other people in the gym)

How would I know exactly how much calories/carbs/etc etc I should be eating?
(I read the sticky about food, understood most of it.. except the calorie counting link)

EileenG

I have my reservations about the food pyramid. It's great if you are a young healthy male who does sports competitively. Not so good if you are dieting, or overweight, or have any sort of problem with insulin.

The only way to be sure about your calorie requirement is to spend a week recording every single thing you put in your mouth. At the end of the week, average it out and you have your maintenance calories, exactly tailored to your lifestyle and workouts. Anything else is just guessing.

As a general rule, I would aim to have a quality protein in every meal, along with a healthy fat (which does include saturates, but not transfats) and a green vegetable. Fill the gaps with dairy, nuts, seeds, fruit, wholegrains. Try to avoid anything made of white flour or which contains sugar as one of the first four ingredients.

Astrogeek

Hmm thanks I'll start recording and see where I get from there