Customize the Food Pyramid using these “Action Triangles” to get the body you want. Eat MORE of these foods to LOSE weight, or LESS of these foods to GAIN weight.

The Food Pyramid is a good start to healthy eating, and an excellent start if you stick with the more highly recommended foods in each food group.

Eat MORE of these foods to LOSE weight, or LESS of these foods to GAIN weight. What I mean is …

Eat more protein than carbohydrates to lose weight faster and more easily.

OR

Eat more carbohydrates than protein to gain weight faster and more easily.

If you don't remember seeing this advice on the U.S.D.A. food pyramid, that's because it isn't there.

The food pyramid is the U.S.D.A.'s guide to healthy eating. It first came out as the “Food Pyramid” in 1992, and updated as “My Pyramid” in 2005.

The 2005 version “My Pyramid” puts foods into five groups:

Grains – like corn, wheat, barley, oats and others. It's best to eat whole grains.

Vegetables – like broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, romaine lettuce, turnip, eggplant, zucchini and many more. It's best to eat vegetables washed, raw, and unpeeled when possible or moderately cooked.

Fruits – like apples, grapefruits, peaches, persimmons and a ton of others. It's best to eat fruit unsweetened, washed, raw and whole with the peel on if it's edible.

Milk and Milk products (dairy) – like skim milk, cottage cheese, other cheeses and yogurt. It's best to choose low fat unsweetened varieties.

Meat and Beans – this group also includes eggs, fish, seafood, poultry and nuts. It's best to choose lean meats, most fish and seafood or dry beans.

I recommend NOT eating tofu, soy beans or soy products because they contain a compound that may act like estrogen in humans.

Estrogen can either inhibit the burning of body fat, or promote the accumulation of it (women have higher body fat than men).

Soy may also inhibit muscle gain and interfere with erections in men:-O

The last symptom happened to my friend Paul, it stopped after he stopped taking a soy protein supplement he'd been taking.

Oils - olive oil, grape seed oil, olive oil and other cooking oils. Fat, sweet and healthy fats like peanut butter and fish oils are included in this group.

Discretionary Calories (aka junk food and alcohol) - junk foods include anything thing you KNOW isn't healthy for you. Be honest with yourself, you know what's sweet, rich, and/ or fatty is junk food. If you're not sure, consider it junk food.

Alcohol is obvious too, your body actually burns alcohols BEFORE carbohydrates, or proteins.

Drink alcohol and eat junk food on your pig out day.

Physical activity is also encouraged as an important part of a healthy lifestyle. We'll cover exercise and activities on the training and body building pages of this site.

An updated version of the 2005 guide is expected in 2010.

The Food Pyramid has changed over the years. Other food pyramids have been suggested, which are more up to date.

The Healthy Eating Pyramid and the Healing Foods Pyramid come dramatically closer to what I believe and have practiced for about a decade. More or less...I still need to eat more veggies:-?

Canada's 2009 Food Guide Is our version of the food pyramid (I'm Canadian eh;-) and is more up to date because it was published...you guessed it, in 2009.

To give you the best and healthiest body, let me introduce the “Action Triangle” to a hot healthy body.

Follow these three actions to get the healthy and hot body most of us want:-)

Fast physical fitness is about getting the most bang for your buck when it comes to time and results.

This action triangle was inspired by an email I wrote to my friend Mike after he'd asked me for nutrition advice. He told me he didn't understand the first email I sent because it was too technical. I wrote another one about WHAT to think, drink and eat, but not WHY. Follow these actions and you will have a healthy diet and a great body.

If you want to know WHY click on the links in the text any time you find yourself asking questions.

You can also contact me using the link at the bottom of any page. Please send me any questions, comments or thoughts you'd like to share.

Everyone wants to do one of three things with their body:

1) Lose weight. 2) Gain weight. 3) Stay the same weight.

while losing fat, gaining muscle and getting healthier.

You CHOOSE what to think, drink and eat. Your health, fitness and body composition are a choice. Choose to make your body hot and your health the best it can be!!