Dieting Information

A healthy diet includes eating a variety of foods from the basic food groups: protein, such as meat, eggs, and legumes; dairy; fruits and vegetables; grains, such as breads and pasta; and fats and sweets. As simple as this sounds, it’s not always easy to get the nutrition you need. You may eat more of your favorite foods from only one food group, and as a result, avoid others. Or perhaps you opt for convenience over quality when you are hungry. Find your perfect diet with the Diet Needs Analysis (DNA).Eat the foods you love. Lose the weight you hate.

The Food Guide Pyramid is one way for people to understand how to eat healthy. More than a decade ago, the U.S. Department of Agriculture created a powerful and enduring icon - the Food Guide Pyramid. A rainbow of colored, vertical stripes represents the five food groups plus fats and oils. According to the USDA, it was "designed to be simple," and details are at MyPyramid.gov. Unless you've taken the time to become familiar with the Pyramid, though, you have no idea what it means. Relying on the Web site to provide key information - like what the color stripes stand for and how many servings of each food group are recommended each day - guarantees that the millions of Americans without access to a computer or the Internet will have trouble getting these essential facts. Here's what the colors stand for:

• orange - grains
• green - vegetables
• red - fruits
• yellow - fats and oils
• blue - milk and dairy products
• purple - meat, beans, fish, and nuts

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) changed the pyramid in spring 2005 because they wanted to do a better job of telling Americans how to be healthy. The agency later released a special version for kids. Notice the girl climbing the staircase up the side of the pyramid? That's a way of showing kids how important it is to exercise and be active every day. 

What is a "Healthy Diet"?
The Dietary Guidelines describe a healthy diet as one that

• Emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products;
• Includes lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts; and
• Is low in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, salt (sodium), and added sugars.

Meat and beans make up one of the main food groups in the new Food Pyramid. But this group is about more than just meat and beans. All foods made from meat, poultry, fish, dry beans or peas, eggs, nuts, and seeds are considered part of this group. Dry beans and peas are part of this group as well as the vegetable group. Most meat and poultry choices should be lean or low fat. Higher fat choices, such as regular ground beef (75 to 80% lean) or chicken with skin, add on extra fat and calories. Fish, nuts, and seeds contain healthy oils, so these foods are good substitutions for meat or poultry.

So, not only is it important to pay attention to what you eat but also to what you are missing from your diet. To accomplish this, keep a food diary of everything you eat and drink for 1 week. Pay attention to serving sizes, and check to see if you are eating a variety of foods from each of the food groups. You don't need to meet the minimum number every day, but try to get the recommended intake on average over a week. You might find that making a few small changes will ensure that you're eating a healthy, balanced diet. Or, you may find that you are missing many important nutrients. Different people need different diets.

Calorie counting is a tedious process that many endure in their pursuit of weight reduction. It may not be necessary if you make wise choices about the foods you eat. For example, healthy foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean protein have fewer calories per portion size. So you can eat a little more, and still not be over the top in your calorie count. You do not need to count calories, just use good judgment in your food choices.