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Eat a variety of
foods
To obtain the nutrients and other
substances needed for good health, vary the foods you eat
Foods contain
combinations of nutrients and other healthful substances. No single food can
supply all nutrients in the amounts you need. For example, oranges provide
vitamin C but no vitamin B12; cheese provides vitamin B12 but no vitamin C. To
make sure you get all of the nutrients and other substances needed for health,
choose the recommended number of daily servings from each of the five major
food groups displayed in the Food Guide Pyramid.
Use foods from the base of the Food Guide
Pyramid as the foundation of your meals
Americans do choose
a wide variety of foods. However, people often choose higher or lower amounts
from some food groups than suggested in the Food Guide Pyramid. The Pyramid
shows that foods from the grain products group, along with vegetables and
fruits, are the basis of healthful diets. Enjoy meals that have rice, pasta,
potatoes, or bread at the center of the plate, accompanied by other vegetables
and fruit, and lean and low-fat foods from the other groups. Limit fats and
sugars added in food preparation and at the table. Compare the recommended
number of servings with what you usually eat.
What counts as a "serving"?
See the Food Guide
Pyramid for suggested serving sizes in food groups. Notice that some of the
serving sizes are smaller than what you might usually eat. For example, many
people eat a cup or more of pasta in a meal, which equals two or more
servings. So, it is easy to eat the number of servings recommended.
Choose different foods within each food
group
You can achieve a healthful, nutritious
eating pattern with many combinations of foods from the five major food
groups. Choosing a variety of foods within and across food groups improves
dietary patterns because foods within the same group have different
combinations of nutrients and other beneficial substances. For example, some
vegetables and fruits are good sources of vitamin C or vitamin A, while others
are high in folate; still others are good sources of calcium or iron. Choosing
a variety of foods within each group also helps to make your meals more
interesting from day to day.
What about vegetarian diets?
Some Americans eat vegetarian diets for
reasons of culture, belief, or health. Most vegetarians eat milk products and
eggs, and as a group, these lacto-ovo-vegetarians enjoy excellent health.
Vegetarian diets are consistent with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and
can meet Recommended Dietary Allowances for nutrients. You can get enough
protein from a vegetarian diet as long as the variety and amounts of foods
consumed are adequate. Meat, fish, and poultry are major contributors of iron,
zinc, and B vitamins in most American diets, and vegetarians should pay
special attention to these nutrients.
Vegans eat only food of plant origin.
Because animal products are the only food sources of vitamin B12, vegans must
supplement their diets with a source of this vitamin. In addition, vegan
diets, particularly those of children, require care to ensure adequacy of
vitamin D and calcium, which most Americans obtain from milk products.
Foods vary in their amounts of calories
and nutrients
Some foods such as grain products,
vegetables, and fruits have many nutrients and other healthful substances but
are relatively low in calories. Fat and alcohol are high in calories. Foods
high in both sugars and fat contain many calories but often are low in
vitamins, minerals, or fiber.
People who do not need many calories or
who must restrict their food intake need to choose nutrient-rich foods from
the five major food groups with special care. They should obtain most of their
calories from foods that contain a high proportion of essential nutrients and
fiber.
Growing children, teenage girls, and
women have higher needs for some nutrients
Many women
and adolescent girls need to eat more calcium-rich foods to get the calcium
needed for healthy bones throughout life. By selecting lowfat or fat-free milk
products and other lowfat calcium sources, they can obtain adequate calcium
and keep fat intake from being too high. Young children, teenage girls, and
women of childbearing age should also eat enough iron-rich foods, such as lean
meats and whole-grain or enriched white bread, to keep the body's iron stores
at adequate levels.
Enriched and fortified foods have
essential nutrients added to them
National policy
requires that specified amounts of nutrients be added to enrich some foods.
For example, enriched flour and bread contain added thiamin, riboflavin,
niacin, and iron; skim milk, lowfat milk, and margarine are usually enriched
with vitamin A; and milk is usually enriched with vitamin D. Fortified foods
may have one or several nutrients added in extra amounts. The number and
quantity of nutrients added vary among products. Fortified foods may be useful
for meeting special dietary needs. Read the ingredient list to know which
nutrients are added to foods. How these foods fit into your total diet will
depend on the amounts you eat and the other foods you consume.
Where do vitamin, mineral, and fiber
supplements fit in?
Supplements of vitamins, minerals, or
fiber also may help to meet special nutritional needs. However, supplements do
not supply all of the nutrients and other substances present in foods that are
important to health. Supplements of some nutrients taken regularly in large
amounts are harmful. Daily vitamin and mineral supplements at or below the
Recommended Dietary Allowances are considered safe, but are usually not needed
by people who eat the variety of foods depicted in the Food Guide Pyramid.
Sometimes supplements are needed to meet
specific nutrient requirements. For example, older people and others with
little exposure to sunlight may need a vitamin D supplement. Women of
childbearing age may reduce the risk of certain birth defects by consuming
folate-rich foods or folic acid supplements. Iron supplements are recommended
for pregnant women. However, because foods contain many nutrients and other
substances that promote health, the use of supplements cannot substitute for
proper food choices.
ADVICE FOR TODAY
Enjoy eating a variety of foods. Get the
many nutrients your body needs by choosing among the varied foods you enjoy from
these groups: grain products, vegetables, fruits, milk and milk products,
protein-rich plant foods (beans, nuts), and protein-rich animal foods (lean
meat, poultry, fish, and eggs). Remember to choose lean and lowfat foods and
beverages most often. Many foods you eat contain servings from more than one
food group. For example, soups and stews may contain meat, beans, noodles, and
vegetables.
U.S. Department of Agriculture
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