Mix up your choices within each food group. Know the limits on fats, salt, and
sugars. Read the Nutrition Facts label on foods. Look for foods low in saturated
fats and trans fats. Choose and prepare foods and beverages with little salt (sodium)
and/or added sugars (caloric sweeteners). Go lean with protein. Choose lean meats
and poultry. Bake it, broil it, or grill it. And vary your protein choices—with
more fish, beans, peas, nuts, and seeds. Focus on fruits. Eat a variety of fruits—whether
fresh, frozen, canned, or dried—rather than fruit juice for most of your
fruit choices. For a 2,000-calorie diet, you will need 2 cups of fruit each day
(for example, 1 small banana, 1 large orange, and 1/4 cup of dried apricots or
peaches). Vary your veggies. Eat more dark green veggies, such as broccoli, kale,
and other dark leafy greens; orange veggies, such as carrots, sweetpotatoes, pumpkin,
and winter squash; and beans and peas, such as pinto beans, kidney beans, black
beans, garbanzo beans, split peas, and lentils. Make half your grains whole. Eat
at least 3 ounces of whole-grain cereals, breads, crackers, rice, or pasta every
day. One ounce is about 1 slice of bread, 1 cup of breakfast cereal, or 1/2 cup
of cooked rice or pasta. Look to see that grains such as wheat, rice, oats, or
corn are referred to as “whole” in the list of ingredients. Get your
calcium-rich foods. Get 3 cups of low-fat or fat-free milk—or an equivalent
amount of low-fat yogurt and/or low-fat cheese (11/2 ounces of cheese equals 1
cup of milk)—every day. For kids aged 2 to 8, it’s 2 cups of milk.
If you don’t or can’t consume milk, choose lactose-free milk products
and/or calcium-fortified foods and beverages.
Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program
information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s
TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD).
From the brochure, "Finding Your Way to a Healthier You:Based on the Dietary
Guidelines for Americans,"
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services U.S. Department of Agriculture
www.healthierus.gov/dietaryguidelines