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While many Americans know they need to eat better, many do not know where to start. The world of nutrition is complicated, especially with over-marketing across the Internet and television. From diets to supplements, vitamins to pre-packaged meals, most people give up before they even get started. However, research has shown that even for the professional athlete, the hardcore fitness expert, exercise is not enough: healthy eating habits are equally if not more important.

So where does the average person begin if even fitness center gurus are confused? The answer is simple: the nutrition pyramid. That diagram, tacked to every middle school nurse’s office and memorized in every high school health class, remains one of the most useful guides to the realm of nutrition. The new nutrition pyramid is even flexible: nutritionists agree that every individual requires an individualized diet, and the pyramid can easily be altered to fit those individual goals while remaining relatively the same shape.

The Nutrition Pyramid - Exploring The Steps

While the nutrition pyramid is flexible, there are certain characteristics of the chart that will change. Food groups are universal, and while specific servings can differ, their relations to each other are relatively static. For example, oils and fats, the smallest sliver of the pyramid, will usually always be the smallest for every person. While some people can eat more fat due to their lifestyles, these foods should always be enjoyed in moderation; a little fat is necessary, but too much is the main cause of poor health. Even marathon runners will develop love handles in no time if they believe they can run off the effects of chocolates and potato chips.

One of the largest groups in the nutrition pyramid is the grains group. Grains are carbohydrates, and they provide the body with the fuel necessary to excel at every endeavor. In most diets, however, breads, pastas and rice are the first foods to be eliminated. Not only does this ill-conceived notion weaken the body, it does not promote long-lasting results: carbohydrates are the largest section of the nutrition pyramid for a reason, and the moment they are reintroduced, the body will result. While individuals should try to eat whole grains versus bleached, sugar-based carbohydrates, they are utterly necessary for day-to-day life; otherwise, the body can enter starvation mode, and while individuals will experience weight loss, it is weight loss spurred by internal panic and muscle loss.

Fruits, vegetables and dairy products all have their own places in the nutrition pyramid as well. Multiple servings of each of these good groups should be consumed every day, and once again, while non-fat milk and lower-calorie fruits can be chosen, they cannot be ignored completely.

Too often people get caught up in the calorie-counting obsession, and they forfeit good nutrition for weight loss. Once again, the weight lost is not productive weight; it is muscle and healthy fat, not the bad fat stored from fats and oils. Lastly, meats and beans, the protein base of the nutrition pyramid, cannot be forgotten. These are the source of protein for the body, the building blocks of muscle, and for athletes and non-athletes alike, protein is the key to that lean, tone, cut body glamorized on magazines. Lean meats are the ideal choice, as they minimize calories while maintaining solid levels of protein, but in the end, any meat is better than no meat at all.

By Health Editor