Meals That Include All Food Groups
Children, teens and adults need a balanced diet that includes foods from five groups: fruits, vegetables, grains, protein sources and dairy or other calcium-rich products, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Getting enough of each food group daily can help ensure you don't become deficient in vital vitamins and minerals and may lower your risk of diseases like cancer, heart disease, hypertension and diabetes. A simple way to check that your diet is measuring up is to follow the USDA's MyPlate guidelines for planning your meals, notes Kathleen Zelman, M.P.H., R.D., L.D. in a UnitedHealthcare article 4. If you're having trouble designing a healthy diet, talk to your doctor or a nutritionist.
Have half of each meal consist of fresh, frozen or canned fruits or vegetables. Choose low- or no-sodium brands of vegetables and fruit packed in 100 percent fruit juice if you use canned produce. Aim to eat as many different colors of produce each week as possible, such as red cherries, yellow-orange winter squash, green spinach, blueberries and purple eggplant.
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Make 25 percent of each meal a grain such as rice, pasta or bread. Consume at least half of these grains in their whole-grain form such as brown rice, whole-wheat bread, whole-grain noodles or whole cereal grains like oatmeal or bulgur instead of white rice and other products prepared from refined grains.
Include a protein-rich food at every meal. Choose from poultry, lean meats, fish, shellfish, eggs, nuts, seeds, soy foods, beans or legumes. Keep in mind that a single serving consists of one egg, 1/2 ounce of nuts or seeds, 1/4 cup of cooked beans or 1 ounce of seafood, meat or poultry.
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Consume a serving of dairy or an appropriate high-calcium vegetarian option with each meal. Try 1 1/2 ounces of low-fat cheese or 1 cup of low- or nonfat yogurt or milk if you include dairy products in your diet. Opt for 1 cup of calcium-fortified plant milk, fortified soy foods or dark green leafy vegetables as alternatives or if you don't consume dairy.
Tips
When you begin eating more whole grains and fresh produce, you may experience gas, bloating, abdominal cramps and diarrhea from your increased intake of fiber. To prevent these problems, drink plenty of water and add fiber-rich foods into your diet gradually, over a period of weeks.
Warnings
If you suffer from a serious medical condition or are undergoing treatment for a chronic problem, you should not make any changes to your diet without discussing it with your doctor.
If you are a strict vegan and do not consume any form of animal-based product, you may be more likely to become deficient in essential nutrients like vitamin B-12, iodine and vitamin D. Talk to your doctor about how to include dietary supplements or fortified foods in your regular diet.
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References
- ChooseMyPlate.gov: Food Groups
- The Vegetarian Resource Group: Vegetarian Nutrition
- Dining.ucla.edu: Facts of Fiber
- UnitedHealthcare: Using the New "MyPlate" For a Healthier You
- ChooseMyPlate.gov: Vegetables - What Foods Are in the Vegetable Group?
- ChooseMyPlate.gov: Grains - What Foods Are in the Grains Group?
- ChooseMyPlate.gov: Protein Foods - What Foods Are in the Protein Foods Group?
- Appel LJ, Moore TJ, Obarzanek E, et al. A clinical trial of the effects of dietary patterns on blood pressure. DASH Collaborative Research Group. N Engl J Med. 1997;336(16):1117-24. DOI: 10.1056/NEJM199704173361601
- Schwingshackl L, Chaimani A, Schwedhelm C, et al. Comparative effects of different dietary approaches on blood pressure in hypertensive and pre-hypertensive patients: A systematic review and network meta-analysis. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2018;:1-14. DOI: 10.1080/10408398.2018.1463967
- Rai SK, Fung TT, Lu N, Keller SF, Curhan GC, Choi HK. The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, Western diet, and risk of gout in men: prospective cohort study. BMJ. 2017;357:j1794. DOI: 10.1136/bmj.j1794
- Kwan MW, Wong MC, Wang HH, et al. Compliance with the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet: a systematic review. PLoS ONE. 2013;8(10):e78412. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0078412
- Kwan, M. W.-M., Wong, M. C.-S., Wang, H. H.-X., Liu, K. Q.-L., Lee, C. L.-S., Yan, B. P.-Y., … Griffiths, S. M. (2013). Compliance with the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) Diet: A Systematic Review. PLoS ONE, 8(10), e78412. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0078412
- USDA 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines, "Chapter 1 Key Elements of Healthy Eating Patterns: A Closer Look Inside Healthy Eating Patterns"
- National Institutes of Health, "Your Guide To Lowering Your Blood Pressure With DASH," August 2015
- Graudal NA, Hubeck-graudal T, Jurgens G. Effects of low sodium diet versus high sodium diet on blood pressure, renin, aldosterone, catecholamines, cholesterol, and triglyceride. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2017;4:CD004022. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD004022.pub4
- Alexander S, Ostfeld RJ, Allen K, Williams KA. A plant-based diet and hypertension. J Geriatr Cardiol. 2017;14(5):327-330. DOI: 10.11909/j.issn.1671-5411.2017.05.014
- Chiu S, Bergeron N, Williams PT, Bray GA, Sutherland B, Krauss RM. Comparison of the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet and a higher-fat DASH diet on blood pressure and lipids and lipoproteins: a randomized controlled trial. Am J Clin Nutr. 2016;103(2):341-7. DOI: 10.3945/ajcn.115.123281
- Alexander, S., Ostfeld, R. J., Allen, K., & Williams, K. A. (2017). A plant-based diet and hypertension. Journal of geriatric cardiology : JGC, 14(5), 327–330. doi:10.11909/j.issn.1671-5411.2017.05.014
- Appel, L. J., Moore, T. J., Obarzanek, E., Vollmer, W. M., Svetkey, L. P., Sacks, F. M., … Harsha, D. W. (1997). A Clinical Trial of the Effects of Dietary Patterns on Blood Pressure. New England Journal of Medicine, 336(16), 1117–1124. doi:10.1056/nejm199704173361601
- Challa HJ, Tadi P, Uppaluri KR. DASH Diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) Updated 2019 May 15.
- Graudal N, Hubeck-Graudal T, Jurgens G. Effects of low sodium diet versus high sodium diet on blood pressure, renin, aldosterone, catecholamines, cholesterol, and triglyceride. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2017, Issue 4. Art. No.: CD004022. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD004022.pub4
- Rai Sharan K, Fung Teresa T, Lu Na, Keller Sarah F, Curhan Gary C, Choi Hyon K et al. The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, Western diet, and risk of gout in men: prospective cohort study BMJ 2017; 357 :j1794 DOI: 10.1136/bmj.j1794
- Sally Chiu, Nathalie Bergeron, Paul T Williams, George A Bray, Barbara Sutherland, Ronald M Krauss, Comparison of the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet and a higher-fat DASH diet on blood pressure and lipids and lipoproteins: a randomized controlled tria The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Volume 103, Issue 2, February 2016 DOI: 10.3945/ajcn.115.123281
- Schwingshackl, L., Chaimani, A., Schwedhelm, C., Toledo, E., Pünsch, M., Hoffmann, G., & Boeing, H. (2018). Comparative effects of different dietary approaches on blood pressure in hypertensive and pre-hypertensive patients: A systematic review and network meta-analysis. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 1–14. doi:10.1080/10408398.2018.146396
- Siervo, M., Lara, J., Chowdhury, S., Ashor, A., Oggioni, C., & Mathers, J. C. (2014). Effects of the Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet on cardiovascular risk factors: a systematic review and meta-analysis. British Journal of Nutrition, 113(1), 1–15. doi:10.1017/s0007114514003341
Tips
- When you just begin eating more whole grains and fresh produce, you may experience gas, bloating, abdominal cramps and diarrhea from your increased intake of fiber. To prevent these problems, drink plenty of water and add fiber-rich foods into your diet gradually, over a period of weeks.
Warnings
- If you suffer from a serious medical condition or are undergoing treatment for a chronic problem, you should not make any changes to your diet without discussing it with your doctor.
- If you are a strict vegan and do not consume any form of animal-based product, you may be more likely to become deficient in essential nutrients like vitamin B-12, iodine and vitamin D. Talk to your doctor about how to include dietary supplements or fortified foods in your regular diet.
Writer Bio
Michelle Kerns writes for a variety of print and online publications and specializes in literature and science topics. She has served as a book columnist since 2008 and is a member of the National Book Critics Circle. Kerns studied English literature and neurology at UC Davis.