by Hans

There is the USDA Foods Pyramid, the healthy food pyramid, the mediterAsian pyramid, the Vegetarian and Vegan Pyramid and even pyramid geared towards specific diseases.

Food pyramids are visual aids that help us to understand which foods are healthy for us to eat and how much of each food we should eat to have a healthy and balanced diet. There are experts that believe that the standard "USDA Food Pyramid″ has major flaws in it and have suggested alternative food pyramids.

The healthy eating pyramid that is suggested by the Harvard School of Public Health is one such pyramid. It is intended to fix the fundamental flaws in the USDA pyramid. This pyramid encourages individuals to replace red meat with a heart-healthy combination of fish, poultry, beans and nuts.

There are some foods believed to have healing powers, so the University of Michigan came up with the Healing Foods Pyramid that emphasizes foods known for their healing benefits or the essential nutrients contained in them. The pyramid has plant-based choices, a balance and variety of color, nutrients and portion size as well as support of a healthy environment.

The MediterrAsian Pyramid emphasizes both Mediterranean and Asian diets and the lifestyle practices that have been linked to achieving lower risk for heart disease and other diseases such as certain cancers. This pyramid helps westerners to learn how to understand and utilize the MeditterrAsian foods that are healthy.

If you avoid all forms of animal protein and dairy products in your diet you will find the Vegetarian and Vegan Pyramids useful. This pyramid emphasizes protein from plant sources. Vegetarian diets are typically lower in fat and higher in fiber.

A healthy diet includes the right balance of vitamins and minerals for the health of your body. A well-balanced diet includes fresh fruits, vegetables, and protein and dairy sources. Certain individuals have special needs when it comes to nutrition especially the very young, the very old, and also pregnant women.

The healthy food pyramid stresses that a healthy diet is anchored by regular exercise that keeps calories in balance and weight in check. The healthy food pyramid diet also stresses to cut back on red meat, refined grains, potatoes, sugary drinks, and salty snacks. If individuals eat meat, they should choose fish and poultry. To stay healthy besides eating healthy individuals should take a multivitamin and drink moderately.

The healing foods pyramid emphasizes only foods that are known to have healing benefits or essential nutrients, plant-based choices, variety and balance of color, nutrients and portion size, mindful eating and also the function of water to healthy eating.

The MediterrAsian Pyramid starts at the bottom with daily physical activity, then bread, pasta, rice, couscous, polenta, other whole grains and potatoes, on the next level are fruits, beans, legumes, and nuts as well as vegetables, then the next level is olive oil, followed by a level that contains cheese and yogurt, then the fish level, the poultry level, the eggs level, the sweets level and finally at the very top the meat level. The bottom levels Daily activity, breads, pasta, rice… fruits, legumes… and vegetables, olive oil, and cheese and yogurt are to be consumed daily. The fish, poultry, eggs and sweets are to be consumed weekly and the meat to be consumed monthly. Wine is to be consumed in moderation with water being consumed daily.

The vegetarian diet pyramid excludes red meat, chicken and fish. Some vegetarians also exclude eggs and milk products. The pyramid features whole grains, legumes, fruits and vegetables and includes moderate amounts of nuts and seeds, soy, egg whites, dairy products and plant oils.

By Matt Altdorfer

500+ Healthy Chinese Recipes is exactly what it proclaims to be - a guide to make great Chinese food that isn't dripping in fat. Chef Nicholas Zhou is the author of the book, and has over 40 years of cooking experience and is now sharing his secrets with you.

What you get when you order 500+ Healthy Chinese Recipes is a very large amount of knowledge from Zhou. In it, you will learn how to cook popular dishes from four different areas in China: Cantonese, Beijing, Szechuwan, and Hunan. Each of these styles and regions have their own distinct taste and cooking techniques that Zhou will walk you through.

However, what Zhou promotes hardest is that his recipes cut down on the fat content from a Chinese restraint that you and I eat at. Most people think that eating out Chinese is healthy, but in reality, when you order Chinese, most often the food is deep fried and loaded with fat and calories. Zhou promotes cooking techniques such as braising, boiling, simmering, "flavor potting", and smoking, along with others. In using these techniques, along with some traditional deep frying recipes, Zhou helps you cut back on your fat intake and makes a truly healthy eating experience.

What do you get when you order the cook book? First, you get over 500 recipes from Zhou himself. You also get a book written by Zhou for novice cookers, geared towards teaching you the multiple different Chinese cooking techniques as a free bonus. Also, as a free bonus, you get a 150 page glossary on Chinese cooking, giving you definitions of different terms, ingredients, and dishes that you will be making. Here is the best part, in my opinion. Zhou is going to continue to make upgrades to his books, and anytime he updates them with new recipes, he will send an email to people that bought the book with his new recipes.

All of this together costs a low price of $19.97...an amazing amount of knowledge and cooking expertise for that price. This is an excellent way for even the most novice of cookers to start making Chinese dishes at home, today.