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Before you eat, think about what and how much food goes on your plate or in your cup or bowl.
Over the day, include a variety of foods from all 5 food groups using MyPlate as your guide to assure you get the nutrients you need:
MyPlate Food Guide: | ||||
Vegetables | Fruits | Grains | Dairy | Protein Foods |
Eat more red, orange, and dark-green veggies like tomatoes, sweet potatoes, and broccoli in main dishes. | Use fruits as snacks, salads, and desserts. At breakfast, top your cereal with bananas or strawberries; add blueberries to pancakes. | Substitute whole-grain choices for refined-grain breads, bagels, rolls, breakfast cereals, crackers, rice, and pasta. | Choose skim (fat-free) or 1% (low-fat) milk. They have the same amount of calcium and other essential nutrients as whole milk, but less fat and calories. | Eat a variety of foods from the protein food group each week, such as seafood, beans, peas and nuts as well as lean meats, poultry, and eggs. |
Add beans or peas to salads (kidney or chickpeas), soups (split peas or lentils), and side dishes (pinto or baked beans), or serve as a main dish. | Buy fruits that are dried, frozen, and canned (in water or 100% juice), as well as fresh fruits. | Check the ingredients list on product labels for the words “whole” or “whole grain” before the grain ingredient name. | Top fruit salads and baked potatoes with low-fat, plain yogurt. | Twice a week, make seafood the protein on your plate. |
Fresh, frozen, and canned vegetables all count. Choose “reduced sodium” or “no-salt-added” canned veggies. | Select 100% fruit juice. | Choose products that name a whole grain first on the ingredients list. | If you are lactose intolerant, try lactose-free milk or fortified soymilk. | Choose lean meats and ground beef that are at least 90% lean. |
Trim or drain fat from meat and remove skin from poultry to cut fat and calories. | ||||
For a adult 2,000-calorie daily food plan, you need the amounts below from each food group. To find amounts personalized for you, go to ChooseMyPlate.gov. | ||||
Eat 2 ½ cups every day | Eat 2 cups every day | Eat 6 ounces every day | Eat 3 cups every day | Eat 5 ½ ounces every day |
What counts as a cup? | What counts as a cup? | What counts as a ounce? | What counts as a cup? | What counts as a ounce? |
1 cup of raw or cooked vegetables or 100% vegetable juice; 2 cups of leafy salad greens | 1 cup of raw or cooked fruit or 100% fruit juice; ½ cup dried fruit | 1 slice of bread; ½ cup of cooked rice, cereal, or pasta; 1 cup of ready-to-eat cereal | 1 cup of milk, yogurt, or fortified soymilk; 1½ ounces natural or 2 ounces processed cheese | 1 ounce of lean meat, poultry, or fish; 1 egg; 1 Tbsp peanut butter; ½ ounce nuts or seeds; ¼ cup beans or peas |
A food is a whole grain if made with all three parts of the grain:
Whole grains are a good choice because they are full of important nutrients that work together to keep you healthy. When you only eat part of the grain you are missing out on the benefits of whole grain.
Look for “whole grain” as the first ingredient and the Whole Grain stamp on products.
Source: ChooseMyPlate
This post was last updated on November 7th, 2022 at 5:49 PM
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