Healthy Eating Pyramid Update

Earlier this year Nutrition Australia updated their Healthy Eating Pyramid for the first time in over 15 years. The new pyramid reflects a change in food philosophy and provides clearer direction on what we should be eating.  In line with the food pyramids of traditional diets such as the Mediterranean Diet, the emphasis is on plant based foods with Nutrition Australia suggesting these should make up 70% of our dietary intake.  The pyramid also includes plant based protein options which means that vegetarians and vegans are not excluded.  The new pyramid looks like this:

My nerdy, healthy-food loving self is really excited.  If you are too, feel free to check out the links below for more information.

Nutrition Australia media release

Nutrition Australia Healthy Eating Pyramid

A New Beginning

So, after an extended time away, I thought it might be time to bring tao belly back to life.  Back in 2013 I returned to work after many years as a stay at home mum.  I completely underestimated the impact this would have on my life, but particularly the lack of anything resembling spare time that I was going to have.  Recent reassessments have meant that I will be dropping back to part time work again next year and I'm looking forward to posting here more regularly in the coming months.

Over the last year or so, my will to cook has pretty much disappeared.  I have struggled to get decent meals on the table, often serving the same boring options.  Most significantly I've come to really dislike preparing meals for my family.  My goal now is to get re-inspired and explore new recipes and ideas for healthy cooking that are family friendly and time friendly as well.

I'm looking forward to sharing my journey back from kitchen burnout with you.

Apology

Apologies for the lack of recent posts.  Our house is being renovated and we have been without a kitchen or internet connection on and off for the past month.  The new kitchen has just been finished and soon I hope to be cooking up a storm and posting again as normal.

About Healthy Eating

What is healthy eating?  The answer will probably be different depending who you ask or where you go to find information.  When my daughter was learning about diet and nutrition in her year three class at school they were looking at the healthy diet pyramid, which I remember learning about when I was at school, and nothing much has changed.  The diet pyramid most often depicted in books and on web-site looks something like the ones below:

Healthy Living Pyramid - Nutrition Australia

  

The Food Pyramid - US Department of Agriculture

The top pyramid is from the Nutrition Australia website and is a more elaborate version of the USDA one below it.  I found the USDA pyramid on a Diabetes website which I found interesting considering it recommends 2 - 3 servings per day from the 'Milk, Yoghurt & Cheese' group which, from the illustrations, seems to include ice cream and chocolate milkshakes!

These standard diet pyramids are an OK start I guess, but personally I think they advocate far too much animal protein and are not a great guide for truly healthy eating.

Another diet pyramid that is getting more press these days is the Mediterranean Diet Pyramid, based on the traditional diet of the Mediterranean region.  This pyramid (two different versions are shown below) advocates a much higher intake of fresh fruit and vegetables, legumes, nuts and grains, especially whole grains.   Dairy is eaten in moderation and predominantly as yoghurt or cheese, and red meat is eaten very infrequently.  The diet also has a high intake of good oils, like olive oil.

Interestingly, if you look at any traditional diet, the same recommendations would apply.  You can see an example of this in the Asian diet pyramid below:

I would highly recommend having a look at the Oldways website for more information.  They also have pyramids based on the traditional African and Latino diets.

Basically, if we make fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, legumes and healthy oils the basis of our diet, we are off to a good start.  Eating good quality seafood and organic meats once or twice a week can also be part of a healthy diet.  Red meat, refined carbohydrates and processed dairy products should only be a very minor part of a healthy diet, and we can manage well without them at all.

Moderation is the best option, and everyone needs to find their own balance.  A good way to begin is by introducing more vegetarian meals and learning to cook with sometimes unfamiliar ingredients, like lentils, pulses and whole grains.  Hopefully the recipes on this blog will be a helpful place to start.

About Tao Belly

Welcome to tao belly.

I recently decided that I wanted to create a family recipe book that I could one day pass on to my daughters.  It was after discussing the idea with them that this blog was born.  In the age of technology it seems an on-line family recipe book was a much better way of preserving my recipes and food ideas.  

My food philosophy centres around healthy food that is also delicious.  I am usually cooking for my two daughters aged 11 and 8, as well as my husband and I.  I'm a celiac and so all recipes on this blog are gluten free without exception.  I generally prefer to eat vegetarian food and, as I also don't eat much dairy, there are a lot of vegan recipes here too.

You may be curious about the title of this blog.  Tao is a Chinese word that is rather difficult to translate into English.  It is often translated as 'the way' or 'way' and represents the absolute principle underlying the universe.  It combines within itself the principles of yin and yang and signifies the way that is in harmony with the natural order.  In Taoism and Zen Buddhism, the object of spiritual practice is to 'become one with the tao' or to harmonise one's will with Nature in order to achieve 'effortless action'.

This reflects my philosophy of both life and food.  My goal is to cook using natural, whole ingredients where possible and to eat seasonally.  By choosing fruits and vegetables that are in season, and eating warming foods in winter and cooling foods in summer, we are treating our bellies with love and hopefully ensuring we remain healthy.

So I guess tao belly is designed to show the way to a harmonious belly and hopefully a harmonious life.

Welcome to taobelly

Welcome to tao belly.

I've started this blog to share some of my favourite recipes and food ideas.  My priority with food is to create meals that are healthy as well as delicious.  I have two girls aged 8 and 5 who are both my helpers and my taste testers.  All my recipes are gluten free without exception.  There are also lots of vegetarian and vegan recipes too.

You can read more about the blog name and my food philosophy on the about tao belly page on this blog.