Eat a balanced and varied diet
A healthy lifestyle requires a varied and balanced diet - and enjoying yourself!
Our body is supplied with energy, nutrients and protective substances, which promote physical well-being and prevent disease. A balanced diet also provides pleasure, allows you to recharge your batteries and share convivial meals.
The Swiss food pyramid illustrates the basis of a balanced diet, which covers our needs for energy and nutrients. Food from the lower floors is needed in large quantities, those from the upper floors are sufficient in smaller quantities. A healthy diet does not require any prohibitions, but simply to combine foods in the right proportions. At the top of the pyramid are the sweets (chocolate, cakes, sugar, honey, ice cream, sweet cereal bars, breakfast cereals, etc.), salty snack foods (chips, flutes, etc.), sweetened drinks (coca-cola, syrup, cold tea, energy drinks, tonic water, flavored and sweetened mineral water) and alcoholic drinks. All of these foods and drinks usually provide a lot of energy in the form of sugar, fat or alcohol, and little or no vitamins and minerals. Salty snacks also contain a lot of salt. Low-sugar or zero-sugar drinks provide little energy, but are not suitable for quenching thirst, as they can create a habit with a sweet taste and mostly contain acids that damage teeth. This is why they too are placed at the top of the food pyramid. The foods and drinks that are on the top floor of the pyramid are not essential for a balanced diet from a nutritional point of view, but have their very reason for being in a healthy lifestyle. They are therefore not prohibited. It all depends on the amount consumed. You should only consume a small amount per day, that is to say either a small portion of sweet, or a small portion of salty, or a small amount of alcohol.
One portion corresponds for example to:
- one chocolate bar or
- 3 small butters or
- a scoop of ice cream or
- a small handful of salted snacks or
- a glass of sweet drink or
- a glass of alcoholic drink
On the food pyramid, cheese is in the high protein food category, along with other dairy products, meat, fish, eggs and tofu. Proteins are essential nutrients for our body, eg. ex. for muscles, enzymes and the immune system. Each of these foods also provides other important nutrients like calcium (milk and dairy products), iron (meat, eggs), vitamin B12 (all animal products containing protein).
Here are the nutritional recommendations for this level of the pyramid:
Three servings of dairy products per day. One serving corresponds to: 7 oz of milk, or 5-7 oz of yogurt, quark, cottage cheese or other dairy products, or 1 oz of hard or semi-hard cheese, or 2 oz of soft cheese.
An additional serving per day of high protein food, alternating (eg red meat, poultry, fish, eggs, tofu, Quorn, seitan, cheese, tight). One serving corresponds to: 1 oz of hard or semi-hard cheese, or 2 oz of soft cheese, or 6-7 oz of quark or cottage cheese, or 4-5 oz of red meat, poultry, fish, tofu, seitan or 2-3 eggs.
Information source: Société Suisse de Nutrition SSN www.sge-ssn.ch