How To Eat A Balanced And Healthy Diet

Marilyn Stephenson, a registered dietitian and director of the Office of Nutrition and
Food Sciences in the FDA Centre for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition explains just exactly
what a balanced diet is !A "ow#$o %uide to a &alanced Diet, FDA Consu'er, (g )*, October
+,-./
0ating a balanced diet 'eans eating a wide 1ariety of foods2 A traditional way of getting a
balanced diet has been to eat a certain nu'ber of portions fro' certain food groups, as defined
by the 3S Depart'ent of Agriculture2
$he fi1e basic groups are 1egetables4 fruit4 bread and cereal4 dairy4 and 'eat, poultry, fish, and
legu'es 5dry beans, lentils and peas62
7t8s reco''ended that you ha1e four ser1ings fro' the fruit and 1egetable group, and should
include one good source of 1ita'in C each day, such as citrus fruit, and a good source of 1ita'in
A, usually deep#yellow or dar9#green 1egetables2 Fro' the bread and cereals group, it is
reco''ended that you get six basic ser1ings including so'e whole#grain bread or cereals2 $he
reco''ended ser1ings fro' the 'il9 and cheese group 1ary with age, the highest
reco''endations for teens and nursing 'others 5four ser1ings62 $wo basic ser1ings fro' the
'eat, poultry, fish and bean group are reco''ended2
$hen there8s the sixth group fats, sweets, and alcohol2 7t8s a group you want to a1oid getting too
'any ser1ings fro'2 Foods in this group ha1e plenty of calories and not a fair balance of other
nutrients2
0ggs, as a protein source, are included in the sa'e group as 'eat, poultry, fish and beans2 One
egg is considered a ser1ing in that group2 So if you eat two eggs for brea9fast you ha1e obtained
your reco''endations fro' the protein group and should ha1e no 'ore egg, 'eat, poultry or
fish that day2
http::www2diet#and#health2net:Diet:balanceddiet2ht'l