The food wheel (features, benefits and shortcomings)

Obesity and being overweight are a health problem that must be taken into account both medically and socially. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that, Since 1975, obesity has nearly tripled worldwide. Today, almost 39% of people on Earth are overweight, while 13% meet the criteria for obesity.

Obesity reports various problems on many levels. Compared to people with a normal Body Mass Index (BMI), obese patients have up to 6 times the risk of develop type 2 diabetes, 55% more likely to suffer depression and twice as many ballots to suffer from gastric cancer of the cardio. As indicated by the Spanish Society of Intensive, Critical Medicine and Coronary Units, 75% of heart attacks are caused by too high a body mass.

With these data in hand, it is more than clear that It is necessary to provide easy-to-understand resources to the population so that every citizen knows what he should eat and, above all, in what quantities. Many food-related conditions are pathological and require professional help, but in Other times, exposure to the right information can prevent long-term problems. term. Based on this premise, we tell you all about the food wheel.

• We recommend you read: "The 15 foods that are most fattening"

What is the food wheel?

The food wheel is a graphic resource with a circular shape that distributes the different foods that should be consumed in general into cells. To make the wheel, the different meals are divided into food groups with properties common, which are slightly different than the typical macronutrient criteria (carbohydrates, proteins and lipids).

One of his intentions is to use a resource a little more appropriate than that of the food pyramid. Although it correctly exemplifies which foods should be the base and which are consumed only sporadically, it can create a certain toxic relationship with some foods, labeling some of them as "prohibitive" or "unhelpful" in a way hint. With this type of representation, it is about eliminating this preconception.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), All resources and dietary habits must try to fulfill the following fronts to be considered adequate:

• Follow a healthy eating pattern throughout life.
• For this, it is necessary to focus on the variety of nutrients consumed, but also on their density and quantity.
• Limit caloric intake of free sugars (monosaccharides) and reduce sodium and saturated fat intake.
• Whenever possible, choose the healthiest food options, both in food and drink.
• Promote that all people have healthy eating habits.

On the other hand, the WHO reports the following essential mention data. Fats should represent 15 to 30% of total caloric intake, carbohydrates should account for the bulk of all menu (55 to 75% of the total) and, on the other hand, proteins should not exceed 15% of caloric intake. With all these data and much more, you can sketch out which organization will have the food wheel.

• We recommend you read: "Healthy cooking: 7 bad habits to avoid"

The categories of the food wheel

The food wheel is changing and different depending on the region used and the year of its publication. The Spanish Society of Dietetics and Food Sciences (SEDCA) updated it in 2019, so we We are going to base on it to tell you about the different categories in which food is divided. it.

1. Energetic food

Energy foods are those that give the body the bulk of energy to perform its vital functions (basal metabolic rate) and, in turn, to perform the physical exercises that the environment demands. They act as biological fuel and, as you can imagine, they are carbohydrates (group I) and fats (group II).

In general, group I looks for foods such as cereals and derivatives (preferably whole grains), potatoes and sugar. As we have said, carbohydrates account for more than 50% of the daily caloric intake, so they should be the basis of any healthy diet. On the other hand, group II includes butters, oils and fats in general. They are looking for polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, which are found mainly in foods of plant origin.

2. Forming foods

They are the nutrients involved in the growth and development of the individual, at the muscular, bone, visceral level and many other things. Here we find group III (proteins) and IV (proteins and calcium). All meat products and dairy derivatives thereof are included within it. We recall that, according to the WHO, the daily protein intake should not exceed 15% of the total.

Calcium is especially striking in this group, since neither more nor less than 99% of this chemical element is stored in the bones. Hydroxyapatite is the solid material secreted by bone-forming cells, and its ideal formula is Ca5 (PO4) 3 (OH), in other words, it contains calcium. With an inadequate intake of calcium, early episodes of osteoporosis, growth retardation, hypocalcemia and imbalances in the organic balance are promoted.

3. Regulatory foods

According to the SEDCA, these are the nutrients that have in their composition fibers, vitamins, minerals and other substances that they serve for the body to perform various specific functions, but completely essential for well-being individual. Here we find group V, which includes vitamins and minerals from vegetables and greens, and group VI, vitamins and minerals in the form of fresh fruits.

Thus, this group includes all fruits and vegetables. The bulk of the composition of these foods is carbohydrates so, again, we enter the percentage of 55-75% of the daily caloric intake.

Here we can find tomatoes, carrots, peppers, spinach, cabbages, strawberries, bananas and a long etcetera. They are foods that with a minimum caloric intake contain a large amount of nutrients, antioxidants and vitamin compounds inside. Although they cannot account for 70% of the daily caloric intake (due to their low energy content), they are one of the essential pillars for any proper diet.

Limitations of the food wheel

As you can see, we have had to rely on the percentage data provided by the World Organization for Health (WHO) to estimate the proportions that each of the foods reflected in the wheel should represent. This graphic resource makes a big mistake, and it is that within the wheel, all percentiles (food sectors) are of equal size.

This question is not anecdotal, since any circular graph worth its salt must apply the following formula to calculate the size of each sector:

The value we are trying to elucidate is α, which represents the angle between the two radii of the sector, or which is the same, the size that each group occupies inside the feed wheel food. Therefore, during the XXI century modifications of the resource have been proposed so that it correctly reflects the proportions of each of the dietary groups so that the individual can have a balanced diet and healthy.

Resume

As you have seen, the food wheel follows an organizational criterion a little different from the typical one, since it is not limited to the division of macronutrients into carbohydrates, fats and proteins. It emphasizes that the bulk of the diet should come from vegetable products with carbohydrates (cereals and derivatives) and mono and polyunsaturated fats, those that give us enough energy to perform basic tasks without putting our Health.

However, unlike the food pyramid, this it does not reflect the amount a person must consume from the foods within each of these groups on a daily basis to follow a proper diet. Therefore, its informative capacity is limited. It is good, but limited.