The "Dietary Guidelines for Americans" define a healthy diet plan as one that uses the USDA Food Pyramid to find the correct amounts of the right foods to eat. It recommends eating a mixture of healthy grains, fruits, vegetables, low or no-fat dairy, lean meats and seafood, nuts and beans, and only small amounts of unhealthy fats, sweets and salt.
Grains
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Pyramid recommends eating six 1-oz. servings of grains in a day. It recommends making at least half of the servings whole grain. The "Dietary Guidelines for Americans" provide a list of different whole grains that can be found in the United States. This list includes quinoa, bulgur wheat, whole wheat, whole oats, brown rice, whole rye, barley and buckwheat, among others. Try to add as many of these whole grains as possible to your diet to add nutrients and keep your menus exciting. The "Dietary Guidelines for Americans" encourage you to purchase whole grains, instead of processed grains that have had the bran taken out, and, sometimes, nutrients added back in.
Fruits and Vegetables
The recommendation for fruits and vegetables in the Food Pyramid includes four servings of fruit and five servings of vegetables. This would be the equivalent of 2 cups of fruit and 2 1/2 cups of vegetables. It recommends a mixture of different kinds of vegetables, and includes legumes in this group as well. The American Dietetic Association, or ADA, says it is easy to add vegetables to your diet when they are used as pizza toppings. They suggest broccoli, mushrooms or peppers. They also suggest turning fruit into sauces and smoothies to add them to your diet.
Dairy
The USDA recommendation is for 3 cups of dairy per day. As well as adding fruit, fruit smoothies are a way to add low-fat dairy to your diet, according to the ADA. The ADA also suggests eating yogurt with your breakfast and low-fat cheese on a potato or in an omelet. The Food Pyramid reminds you to keep the dairy in your diet the low-fat variety.
Meat and Beans
The recommendation for the meat and beans group is 5 1/2 oz. a day. This group contains seafood and all types of meat, as well as nuts, seeds and beans. The Food Pyramid suggests eating more nuts, seeds, beans and seafood than meat. They also recommend eating lean meat for a healthier diet.
Fats
The USDA only recommends consuming 6 tsp. of fats each day, which includes oils and butter. The "Dietary Guidelines for Americans" elaborate that you should choose polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats over trans and saturated fats. These healthier fats come from sources like seafood, nuts and certain vegetable oils.
Member Comments