The Food Guide Pyramid was created by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in an effort to provide a tool that the average American could use to establish a healthy, well-balanced diet. Using the Five Foods Groups contained within the Pyramid, an individual can develop an eating plan that incorporates the nutrients needed on a daily basis. The new Food Pyramid increases the importance placed on fruits, vegetables, and grains. Instead of fruits and vegetables comprising the same group, they are now known as the Fruit Group and the Vegetable Group. Minimum servings recommended are two for fruit and three for vegetable to equal a total of five; whereas the recommended mimimum servings of the old Fruit and Vegetable Group used to be four, one less than at present. Mimimum daily grain servings has been increased from four to six.

Eating a variety of foods from within each food group is important. For example, some vegetables may be high in certain nutrients but low in others. Other vegetables may be able to provide these nutrients that are lacking. In order to receive the more than forty nutrients necessary for optimal health, we need to eat a lot of different foods within the different groups, as well as from the different groups.

Each food group gives a range of servings from which to choose. Food Guide Pyramid handouts usually list various calorie levels and number of servings from each food group to achieve them. These calorie levels are based on lean and low-fat choices from each of the food groups, in addition to low-fat preparation methods. Additional servings of fruits, vegetables, grains, and low-fat or fat-free dairy products can be consumed to increase calorie levels if necessary.

To assure that children don’t consume an excessive amount of fats, cholesterol, and sodium, we must make intelligent choices from the food groups. Foods that are high in fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium should be eaten in moderation. While needed in limited quantities, they are only too plentiful in the average American diet, leading to the many chronic diseases that both shorten and diminish the quality of lives. The foundation for many of these diseases is layed at an early age. Therefore, it is never too soon to educate our children to make healthy choices. It is appropriate to begin lowering the fat, cholesterol, and sodium in their diets after they are two years of age.

Choose foods high in fiber from the Pyramid. More than half the children in America do not get the required amount of fiber in their diets. Fiber is important in digestion, elimination, and prevention of many diseases and disorders. To determine the grams of fiber your child should have each day, take his age and add five. For example, if your child is 5 years old, he should get at least ten grams of fiber each day (5 years + 5 = 10). Good sources of fiber are fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and dried beans and peas.

Information on the Five Food Groups and the Food Guide Pyramid can be obtained directly from the USDA, or from registered dietitians working in hospitals, health departments, or other health-related organizations. It’s a great reference for establishing a healthy diet for you and your children.

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A Safe Kitchen

Source: The Safe Food Book, U.S.D.A. Food Safety and Inspection Service

Keep Food Hot

High food temperatures (165˚ to 212˚ F) reached in cooking kill most food poisoning bacteria. If you want to delay serving cooked food, though, you have to keep it at a holding temperature, roughly 140˚ to 165˚F. It’s not wise to leave hot food out more than 2 hours.

Keep Food Cold

The colder food is kept, the less chance bacteria has to grow. To make sure your refrigerator and freezer are giving you good protection against bacterial growth, check them with an appliance thermometer. The refrigerator should register 40˚F or lower. The freezer should read 0˚F or lower.

Shopping

Pick up the perishables as your last stop in the grocery, and get them home and into the refrigerator quickly. Don’t leave them in the car while you run other errands. If you live more than 30 miles from the store, consider using an ice chest for the trip home.

Refrigerating

Since repeated handling can introduce bacteria to meat and poultry, leave products in the store wrap unless it’s torn. In that case, re-wrap to prevent moisture loss. Read the labels on canned meat and poultry and refrigerate it if necessary. Otherwise, store it in a cool, dry place.

Freezing

While “freezer burn” - white, dried-out patches on the surface of meat - won’t make you sick, it does make meat tough and tasteless. To avoid it, wrap freezer items in heavy freezer paper, plastic wrap or foil. Place new items to the rear of the freezer, and old items to the front so that they’ll be used first. Dating freezer packages also tells you what to use first.

Thawing

The safest way to thaw meat and poultry is to take it out of the freezer and leave it overnight in the refrigerator. Normally, it will be ready to use the next day. For faster thawing, put the frozen package in a watertight plastic bag under cold water. Change the water often. If you have a microwave oven, you can safely thaw meat and poultry in it. Follow the manufacturer’s directions. Caution: It’s not a good idea to thaw meat and poultry on the kitchen counter. Bacteria can multiply rapidly at room temperature.

Storing Leftovers

Don’t cool leftovers on the kitchen counter. Put them straight into the refrigerator. Divide large bowls of food into smaller portions. Food in small portions cools more quickly to temperatures where bacteria quit growing.

Canned Goods

Store canned foods in a cool, clean dry place. Temperatures below 85˚F are best. While extremely rare, botulism is the worst problem you can encounter in canned goods. Never use food from containers giving out possible botulism warnings - leaking, bulging, or badly dented cans, cracked jars or jars with loose or bulging lids, canned food with a foul odor, or any container that spurts liquid when you open it. Don’t even taste such food!

Don’t Spread Infection

Always wash your hands before beginning food preparation. Wash hands, countertops, and utensils in hot, soapy water between each step in food preparation. Teach this simple, but vital, rule to your children too. Use gloves to handle food if you have any kind of skin cut or infection on your hands. Try not to sneeze or cough into food.

Keep Washing and Drying Cloths Clean

Bacteria can “loiter” in towels and cloths you use over and over, so wash kitchen linen often. Throw out dirty or mildewed dish sponges.

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