health and meet your individual needs.

Meant for healthy people, ages two and over, the Pyramid suggests how you can eat a varied diet without consuming too many calories, too much fat, especially saturated fat, or added sugars.

Inside the Food Guide Pyramid, you'll find that all kinds of foods -- including your personal favourites -- fit into a healthful diet.

Nutrient-rich foods are in the five major food groups. Fats, oils and sweets belong in the Pyramid tip.

A diet that meets the recommendations of the Food Guide Pyramid has these "good-for-you'' qualities: Variety : foods from all food groups...and different foods from within each food group. No one food or food group supplies all the nutrients you need.

But a varied diet can provide essential nutrients for health, energy and, depending on your age, growth.

Variety also adds interest to meals and snacks and allows flexibility when eating out or on the run! Balance : enough, but not too much, from each food group.

The amount you need from each food group depends on your individual calorie needs. That's why the Pyramid offers a range of servings.

Moderation : enough -- but not too much -- fat, oils and added sugars.

A moderate diet may help protect you from some nutrition-related problems -- obesity, heart disease and some types of cancer.

All food groups supply fats, sugars or both, but most come from the Pyramid tip.

What about combination foods? Combination foods, like veggie-filled omelettes, casseroles or pizza, can be tricky to count. Just estimate the amount of their main ingredients.

For example a tuna casserole may contain 2 ounces of tuna per serving. This counts as two ounces from the meat group.

It may contain 1 cup cooked noodles which counts as two servings from the Bread, Cereal, Rice and Pasta group.

Estimate, then count the amount of vegetables and cheese that you added and count these towards servings from the vegetable and milk groups.

While fats, oils and sweets have no defined serving sizes, they add flavour and enjoyment to meals and snacks.

Eat them in moderation as part of a healthful diet that's right for you.

How many servings do you need each day? The Pyramid shows a range of servings for each major food group.

The number of servings that are right for you depends on how many calories you need, which in turn depends on your age, sex, size, and how active you are.

Almost everyone should have at least the lowest number of servings in the ranges.

The following calorie level suggestions are based on recommendations of the US National Academy of Sciences and on calorie intakes reported by people in US national food consumption surveys.

For Adults and Teens 1,600 calories is about right for most sedentary women and some older adults.

2,200 calories is about right for most children, teenage girls, active women, and many sedentary men. Women who are pregnant or breast feeding may need somewhat more.

2,800 calories is about right for teenage boys, many active men, and some very active women.

For Young Children It is hard to know how much food children need to grow normally. But if you are unsure, check with your doctor.

Preschool children need the same variety of foods as older family members do, but may need less than 1,600 calories.

For fewer calories they can eat smaller servings. However, it is important that they have the equivalent of 2 cups of milk a day.

The table below tells you how many servings you need for your calorie level.