How To Eat A Balanced And Healthy Diet
Marilyn Stephenson, a registered dietitian and director of the
Office of Nutrition and Food Sciences in the FDA Centre for Food Safety
and Applied Nutrition explains just exactly what a balanced diet is: [A How-To Guide to a Balanced Diet, FDA Consumer, Pg 23, October 1986]
Eating a balanced diet means eating a wide variety
of foods. A traditional way of getting a balanced diet has been to eat
a certain number of portions from certain food groups, as defined by
the US Department of Agriculture.
The five basic groups are
vegetables; fruit; bread and cereal; dairy; and meat, poultry, fish,
and legumes (dry beans, lentils and peas).
It's recommended
that you have four servings from the fruit and vegetable group, and
should include one good source of vitamin C each day, such as citrus
fruit, and a good source of vitamin A, usually deep-yellow or
dark-green vegetables. From the bread and cereals group, it is
recommended that you get six basic servings including some whole-grain
bread or cereals. The recommended servings from the milk and cheese
group vary with age, the highest recommendations for teens and nursing
mothers (four servings). Two basic servings from the meat, poultry,
fish and bean group are recommended.
Then there's the sixth
group: fats, sweets, and alcohol. It's a group you want to avoid
getting too many servings from. Foods in this group have plenty of
calories and not a fair balance of other nutrients.
Eggs, as
a protein source, are included in the same group as meat, poultry, fish
and beans. One egg is considered a serving in that group. So if you eat
two eggs for breakfast you have obtained your recommendations from the
protein group and should have no more egg, meat, poultry or fish that
day.
Marilyn Stephenson, a registered dietitian and director of the
Office of Nutrition and Food Sciences in the FDA Centre for Food Safety
and Applied Nutrition explains just exactly what a balanced diet is: [A How-To Guide to a Balanced Diet, FDA Consumer, Pg 23, October 1986]
Eating a balanced diet means eating a wide variety
of foods. A traditional way of getting a balanced diet has been to eat
a certain number of portions from certain food groups, as defined by
the US Department of Agriculture.
The five basic groups are
vegetables; fruit; bread and cereal; dairy; and meat, poultry, fish,
and legumes (dry beans, lentils and peas).
It's recommended
that you have four servings from the fruit and vegetable group, and
should include one good source of vitamin C each day, such as citrus
fruit, and a good source of vitamin A, usually deep-yellow or
dark-green vegetables. From the bread and cereals group, it is
recommended that you get six basic servings including some whole-grain
bread or cereals. The recommended servings from the milk and cheese
group vary with age, the highest recommendations for teens and nursing
mothers (four servings). Two basic servings from the meat, poultry,
fish and bean group are recommended.
Then there's the sixth
group: fats, sweets, and alcohol. It's a group you want to avoid
getting too many servings from. Foods in this group have plenty of
calories and not a fair balance of other nutrients.
Eggs, as
a protein source, are included in the same group as meat, poultry, fish
and beans. One egg is considered a serving in that group. So if you eat
two eggs for breakfast you have obtained your recommendations from the
protein group and should have no more egg, meat, poultry or fish that
day.
Table 2.5 Daily Food Choices
FOOD GROUP | SUGGESTED DAILY SERVINGS | ONE SERVING |
| Breads, Cereals, and Grain Products | 6 - 11 | 1 slice of bread ? hamburger bun or english muffin a small roll, biscuit, or muffin 2 large crackers ? cup cooked cereal, rice, or pasta 1 ounce of ready-to-eat breakfast cereal |
| Fruits | 2 - 4 | a whole fruit such as an apple, banana, or orange a grapefruit half a melon wedge a small cup of juice ? cup of berries ? cup cooked or canned fruit ? cup dried fruit |
| Vegetables | 3 - 5 | ? cup of cooked vegetables ? cup of chopped raw vegetables 1 cup of leafy raw vegetables (lettuce or spinach) |
| Meat, Poultry, Fish, and Alternatives | 2 - 3 | amounts should total no more than 7 ounces of cooked lean meat, poultry, or fish a day 1 egg ? cup cooked beans |
| Milk, Cheese, and Yogurt | 2 | 1 cup of milk 8 ounces of yogurt 1? ounces of natural cheese 2 ounces of process cheese |
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