Diet Tips

Diet Facts:

Major Food Groups

Below are serving sizes for major foods, to be used in interpreting the food pyramid recommendations:

Grain Products Group (bread, cereal, rice, and pasta)
* 1 slice of bread
* 1 ounce of ready-to-eat cereal
* 1/2 cup of cooked cereal, rice, or pasta

Vegetable Group
* 1 cup of raw leafy vegetables
* 1/2 cup of other vegetables - cooked or chopped raw
* 3/4 cup of vegetable juice

Fruit Group
* 1 medium apple, banana, or orange
* 1/2 cup of chopped, cooked, or canned fruit
* 3/4 cup of fruit juice

Milk Group
* 1 cup of milk or yogurt
* 1-1/2 ounces of natural cheese
* 2 ounces of processed cheese

Meat and Beans Group
* 2-3 ounces of cooked lean meat, poultry, or fish
* 1/2 cup of cooked dry beans or 1 egg counts as 1 ounce of lean meat.
Two tablespoons of peanut butter or
1/3 cup of nuts count as 1 ounce of meat.

The Basics of A Good Diet

The biggest part of your diet should come from:
the grain group (bread, cereal, rice and pasta- 6-11 servings daily)
the vegetable group (3-5 servings)
fruit group (2-4 servings)
You should choose smaller amounts of foods from the milk group
(2-3 servings)
the meat and beans group (2-3servings)
Meat and beans are very important so don't ignore them, just use smaller qauantities
You should eat fewer foods high in fat and sugar and low in nutrients.

Less active people should consume about 1,600 calories a day and
those who are active should consume about 2,800 calories a day.

The government recommendations aren't the same as the serving size on package labels. The USDA defines a serving from the grain group as
one slice of bread while the package lists two slices.

A top selling book:












Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy: The Harvard
Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating