What I Should Know (continued)

Healthy Eating

Food Variety

Eating a variety of foods helps ensure that you get the nutrients your body needs every day. Following MyPyramid.gov can help you create a balanced, healthy diet by giving you suggestions for the types and amounts you should have from all food groups each day. Be careful to limit oils (fats) and sweets for a more healthy diet and to prevent weight gain.

Food Groups

The Grains Group gives you carbohydrates for energy and vitamins such as folic acid, B vitamins, and minerals. Whole-grains foods such as whole wheat bread, brown rice, and oatmeal also have fiber that helps protect you against certain diseases and keeps your body regular. Fiber can help you feel full with fewer calories.

The Fruit and Vegetable Groups give you vitamins such as vitamin A and C, and folic acid; minerals such as potassium and iron; fiber; and other nutrients that are important for good health. They can also help protect you against disease and keep your body regular.

The Milk Group gives you minerals such as calcium and vitamins such as vitamin D to build strong, healthy bones and teeth. Foods in this group also have carbohydrates for energy and protein for important body functions. Whole-milk dairy foods contain unhealthy fats, so it’s a good idea to choose low-fat or fat-free dairy foods.

The Meat and Beans Group gives you protein, fat, vitamins, and minerals such as iron. Meats, especially high-fat processed meats such as bologna contain unhealthy fats, so it’s a good idea to limit these or try lower fat varieties.

Oils (Fats) give you some vitamins such as Vitamin E and extra calories, which can make it hard to keep your weight in a healthy range. It’s especially important to limit saturated fat, which is found in whole dairy foods, many meats, butter, and lard, and raises the risk for heart disease—the number-one cause of death among women. Oils such as canola and olive oils are low in saturated fat and are healthier for you.

Making Healthy Food Choices

Food Group and Daily Amount to Eat*	Am I Eating the Recommended Amount?	Things to Keep in Mind
Grains 5-8 ounces	1 ounce = ½ cup of cooked rice, pasta, cous cous or cereal; 1 slice of bread; 1 small tortilla; 1 small muffin; 1 cup ready-to-eat cereal.	Choose whole grains at least half the time, such as whole grain bread, oatmeal, brown rice.
Vegetables 2-3 cups	1 cup = 1 cup cut-up raw or cooked vegetables; 1 cup vegetable juice; 2 cups leafy salad greens.	Vary the types of vegetables you eat. Eat more dark green and orange vegetables.
Fruits 1.5 – 2 cups	1 cup = 1 cup cut-up raw or cooked fruit; 1 cup fruit juice.	Eat a variety of fruits. Choose fresh, frozen, canned, or dried fruit. Go easy on fruit juices.
Milk 3 cups	1 cup = 1 cup milk or yogurt, 1½ ounces low-fat or fat-free natural cheese; 2 ounces processed cheese.	Choose low-fat or fat-free milk products. If you can’t tolerate milk, try lactose-free milk products.
Meat and Beans 5- 6.5 ounces	1 ounce = 1 ounce lean meat, poultry, or fish; 1 egg, ¼ cup cooked dry beans or tofu; 1 tablespoon (Tbsp) peanut butter; ½ ounce nuts or seeds.	Choose low-fat or lean meats. Bake, broil, or grill your meat, instead of frying. Eat more fish, beans, peas, nuts, and seeds.
Oils 5-7 teaspoons	1 teaspoon (tsp) = 1 tsp vegetable oil or soft margarine; 1 Tbsp low-fat margarine, 2 Tbsp light salad dressing.	Limit solid fats like butter, stick margarine, shortening, and lard.
	* Recommendations are based on a 1600 – 2400 calorie diet. Women who are very active should aim for the higher amounts and women who are less active should aim for the lower amounts. For more information and a personalized plan, visit www.mypyramid.gov brought to us by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Understanding the Food Label

The Nutrition Facts panel on the food label can help you make smart food choices by giving you information on serving sizes, calories, and nutrients, such as saturated and trans fats, cholesterol, sodium, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Just look on the back of most food packages to find the label.

• Read the label to see if a food is a good source of a nutrient or to compare similar foods—for example, to find which brand of macaroni and cheese is lower in fat.
• The food label gives you information on the calorie content of the portions you eat. Check the serving size and the number of servings per container. Compare this to how much you actually eat.
• The % Daily Values (DVs) that are listed on the right-hand side tell what percentage of a certain nutrient you’ll get from one serving of that food. If you want to limit a nutrient, such as sodium, then choose foods with a lower % DV. If you want to eat more of a nutrient such as calcium, then choose foods with a higher % DV.

For more information on the Nutrition Fact panel of the food label, see http://www.csfan.fda.gov/~dms/foodlab.html.

Nutrients

Iron, folic acid, calcium, and vitamin D are a few of the many nutrients that are important for you.

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