Running head: FOOD PYRAMID, EATING DISORDERS, AND MY FOOD LIST 1

Food Pyramid, Eating Disorders, and My Food List

Abigail Woodall
Wellness
August 29, 2014
Coach Taylor
FOOD PYRAMID, EATING DISORDERS, AND MY FOOD LIST 2


Food Pyramid, Eating Disorders, and My Food List
1. Label the categories in the USDA Food Guide Pyramid

In 1992, the United States Department of Agriculture created a Food Pyramid. The
pyramid had had 6 categories: Bread, Cereal , Rice and Pasta 6-11 servings, Fruits 2-4 servings,
Vegetables 3-5 servings, Milk, yogurt and cheese 2-3 servings, meat, poultry, fish, beans, eggs
and nuts 2-3 servings, and fats, oils and sweets use sparingly. It was a really nice visual
representation of telling people that they really shouldnt be eating a whole lot of fats and sugars.
The problem was that there was no difference between a slice of white, processed bread and a
FOOD PYRAMID, EATING DISORDERS, AND MY FOOD LIST 3


slice of whole wheat bread. Additionally, there was nothing that showed that people should get
daily exercise.

So, in April of 2005 this version of the USDA Food Pyramid was designed to address
those issues. In this food pyramid, the foods that you should have many servings of are the
healthy foods and only one serving of more processed foods. Lets look at the grains. If youre
going to choose that white, processed bread it would be a grain from the top of the pyramid, and
youd get only one serving. However, if you chose whole wheat bread, it would be at the bottom
of the pyramid and you could eat several servings of whole wheat bread in a day. The same
would work for dairy. If you had whole milk, youd only want to drink that once a day, but you
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could have skim milk several times a day! Now, you see this orange section? Its not labeled on
the food pyramid because the USDA really wants you to have oils very sparingly and when you
do have them, youd want to choose good oils like olive oil and not shortening.
Now, exercise is very important which is why they put the stairs and a person walking up
the stairs on their pyramid. Daily exercise is extremely important because the more you exercise
the more servings of food you would need. If youre not very active sitting behind a computer
all day, then you probably need fewer servings.
The factual information for this presentation was retrieved from the City College of San
Francisco education department at www.ccsf.edu (CCSF).
2. Identify eating disorders (anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating) and identify "why"
teenagers turn to these disorders. What are the options for teens who are struggling with these
disorders?
The three main eating disorders are anorexia nervosa, bulimia, and binge eating. People
with anorexia nervosa may be seriously underweight. Anorexia nervosa causes people to
obsess about their weightpeople with anorexia nervosa may starve themselves or exercise
excessively (Hensrud) because of fear of getting fat. Although the definition of anorexia
nervosa is loss of appetite, this is not true because a person with anorexia nervosa is hunger, but
he or she denies the hunger because of an irrational fear of becoming fat (Anspaugh & Ezell
308). Some people with anorexia will starve themselves, others will over exercise. If a person
doesnt get psychological help for anorexia, they could die. The most common cause of death
in a long-time anorexic is a low level of potassium in the blood, which can cause an irregular
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heartbeat; other causes of death are starvation, infections due to poor nutritionand suicide due
to depression (Anspaugh & Ezell 308).
Now, if a person binges or eats a huge quantity of food and then vomits, uses laxatives, or
fasts, this is an eating disorder called bulimia (Anspaugh & Ezell 309). Most bulimics are fearful
that they will be fat and feel depressed and guilty after a binge (Anspaugh & Ezell 309). Some
health concerns for bulimics include electrolyte imbalances that can lead to irregular heartbeats,
inflammation and possible rupture of the esophagus from frequent vomiting, tooth decay from
stomach acids, chronic irregular bowel movements, gastric rupture, and dehydration from
overuse of laxatives (Anspaugh & Ezell 310).
Binge eating is another eating disorder. This is where a person experiences some of the
following symptoms: frequently consumes unusually large amounts of food, eating even when
youre full or not hungry, eating rapidly during binge episodes, eating until youre
uncomfortably full, frequently eating alone, feeling that your eating behavior is out of control,
etc. (Gallenberg). Some of the dangers of binge eating are depression, suicidal thoughts,
insomnia, obesity, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, cancer, joint pain, and
digestive problems (Gallenberg).
Teenagers turn to eating disorders because of peer pressure, obsession with weight and
body issues (WebMD). In fact, at any given time, one out of every seven women has or is
struggling with an eating disorder (WebMD). Both boys and girls are affected, but more than
90% of people with an eating disorder are girls (WebMD). I think that the biggest issue is that
during teenage years, people are trying really hard to fit in and this can cause a lot of pressure to
look right. So, if you are chubbier than your best friend, and she vomits after eating too much,
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you might try it too. I think it could start as a way to lose weight. Maybe it progresses after
people start to notice how trim and fit you look?
The best treatment would be to talk to a doctor. All of these eating disorders have mental
issues in common. So, the best way to conquer those issues is to seek treatment from a medical
professional. According to WebMD, a combination of treatments, including cognitive
behavioral therapy and antidepressant medication, can be used to help teens overcome eating
disorders (WebMD). However, I think that an adult may have to step in if they see warning
signs. But these warning signs might be too subtle to detect, so its up to schools to educate
children about the health risks of these very common disorders.

3. Go to your kitchen where your parents keep the food you eat. I want you to divide the foods
you commonly eat into two different groups, healthy or unhealthy food. Only divide the foods you
normally eat, if you see carrots in the fridge, but do not eat them, do not list them. Then I want
you to take the unhealthy foods, and tell me how you can change those into healthy foods.
Food Category Already Eating These
Healthy Foods
Unhealthy Food Exchanges for
Unhealthy Foods
Grains Whole wheat bread White Rice Brown Rice
Fruits Bananas, pears, apples,
and grapefruit
Canned Fruit in heavy
syrup
Canned fruit with no
sugar added
Vegetables Asparagus, broccoli,
carrots, bell peppers
Fried Okra or French
fries
Stewed Okra, baked
potatoes or sweet
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potatoes
Dairy Greek Yogurt with no
added sugar
Whole milk, ice cream,
and whipped cream
Skim milk or soy
milk, frozen yogurt,
sugar free and fat
free whipped cream
Protein Foods Red beans. Chicken
breast
Whole eggs, ground
beef, Chicken wings,
tuna in oil, and fried
catfish
Egg whites, lean
ground beef or lean
ground turkey,
baked chicken breast
with spicy
seasoning, tuna in
water, and grilled
salmon
Fats Vegetable oil Lard and butter Smart Balance
buttery spread, or
coconut oil
Misc. Water, hot sauce, and
pickles
Salad Dressings, sugar,
Frappuccino, soda,
Pepperoni pizza,
Oil and vinegar,
honey, unsweetened
ice tea or water with
fruit, vegetable pizza
with whole wheat
crust.

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Citations
City College of San Francisco. The Food Guide Pyramid. Educational Programs. CCSF. <
http://fog.ccsf.edu/~lfried/stories/foodpyramid.html 2013.
Gallenberg, M., Binge-Eating Disorder Diseases and Conditions. Mayo Clinic.
<http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/binge-eating-
disorder/basics/definition/con-20033155 2014.
Hensrud, D., Anorexia Nervosa. Diseases and Conditions. Mayo Clinic.
<http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/anorexia/basics/definition/con-
20033002 2014.
WebMD. Understanding Eating Disorders in Teens Teen Health. WebMD.
<http://teens.webmd.com/understanding-eating-disorders-teens 2014.