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Dietary Guidelines...

Note: Always follow the advice of your doctor or trained medical person before significantly altering your diet. These are just guidelines, not absolutes, and must be tailored to your own personal needs.

DIETARY GUIDELINES FROM THE USDA

Eat a variety of foods to get the energy, protein, vitamins, minerals, and fiber you need for good health.

Balance the food you eat with physical activity - maintain or improve your weight to reduce you chances of having high blood pressure, heart disease, a stroke, certain cancers, and the most common kind of diabetes.

Choose a diet with plenty of grain products, vegetables, and fruits which provide needed vitamins, minerals, fiber, and complex carbohydrates, and can help you lower your intake of fat.

Choose a diet low in fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol to reduce your risk of heart attack and certain types of cancer and to help you maintain a healthy weight.

Choose a diet moderate in sugars. A diet with lots of sugars has too many calories and too few nutrients for most people and can contribute to tooth decay.

Choose a diet moderate in salt and sodium to help reduce your risk of high blood pressure.

If you drink alcoholic beverages, do so in moderation. Alcoholic beverages supply calories, but little or no nutrients. drinking alcohol is also the cause of many health problems and accidents and can lead to addiction.

The Traditional Food Pyramid from http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cic_text/food/food-pyramid/main.htm

{Food Guide Pyramid}

What is the Food Guide Pyramid?

The Pyramid is an outline of what to eat each day. It's not a rigid prescription, but a general guide that lets you choose a healthful diet that's right for you.

The Pyramid calls for eating a variety of foods to get the nutrients you need and at the same time the right amount of calories to maintain or improve your weight.

The Pyramid also focuses on fat because most Americans diets are too high in fat, especially saturated fat.

Vegetarian Food Pyramids from http://www.vegsource.com/nutrition/pyramid.htm

Food Pyramid

Vegan Food Pyramid

New Four Food Groups

VEGETABLES
3 or more servings a day

Vegetables are packed with nutrients; they provide vitamin C, beta-carotene, riboflavin, iron, calcium, fiber, and other nutrients.

Dark green, leafy vegetables such as broccoli, collards, kale, mustard and turnip greens, chicory, or bok choy are especially good sources of these nutrients.

Dark yellow and orange vegetables such as carrots, winter squash, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin provide extra beta-carotene. Include generous portions of a variety of vegetables in your diet.

Serving size: 1 cup raw vegetables, 1/2 cup cooked vegetables.

WHOLE GRAINS
5 or more servings a day

This group includes bread, rice, pasta, hot or cold cereal. corn, millet, barley, buglar, buckwheat groats, and tortillas. Build each of your meals around a hearty grain dish -- grains are rich in fiber and other complex carbohydrates, as well as protein, B vitamins, and zinc.

Serving size: 1/2 cup hot cereal, 1 ounce dry cereal, 1 slice bread

FRUIT
3 or more servings a day

Fruits are rich in fiber, vitamin C, and beta carotene.

Be sure to include at least one serving each day of fruits that are high in vitamin C -- citrus fruits, melons, and strawberries are all good choices.

Choose whole fruit over fruit juices, which do not contain very much fiber.

Serving size: 1 medium piece of fruit, 1/2 cup cooked fruit, 4 ounces juice.

LEGUMES
2 or more servings a day

Legumes -- which is another name for beans, peas, and lentils -- are all good sources of fiber, protein, iron, calcium, zinc, and B vitamins.

This group also includes chickpeas, baked and refried beans, soy milk, tempeh, and texturized vegetable protein.

Serving size: 1/2 cup cooked beans, 4 ounces tofu or tempeh, 8 ounces soy milk.

WHAT COUNTS AS A SERVING?

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
1 cup of raw leafy vegetables 1/2 cup of other vegetables, cooked or
chopped raw
3/4 cup of vegetable juice
Fruit
1 medium apple, banana, orange 1/2 cup of chopped, cooked, or canned fruit 3/4 cup of fruit juice
Milk, Yogurt, and Cheese
1 cup of milk or yogurt 1-1/2 ounces of natural cheese 2 ounces of process cheese
Protein: Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans, Eggs, and Nuts
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.
2 tablespoons of peanut butter or
1/3 cup of nuts count as 1 ounce of meat.
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