Daily Diet Requirements for Food Groups

Dieting For Dummies 



If you are attempting to lose weight, you are probably on some sort of restricted diet plan. Many diets include foods from all food groups and are healthy options, but not all. For instance, a non-carbohydrate diet will not contain enough grains or cereals, and may not contain foods from other food groups that may contain any carbohydrates. Being on a non-carbohydrate diet for a long period of time could seriously affect your health and this concern should be addressed.

In order for you to stay healthy while dieting, it is important to eat foods from every food group. Each food group offers its own benefits and nutritional value.

Foods from the following food groups should be included in your daily diet on a regular basis. Of course it is important to pay attention to your portion sizes, and eating smaller quantities from each food group is how you can choose to lose weight sensibly. The food groups are: meat and alternatives (your source of protein), dairy, fruits and vegetables, and grains.

You should also include a certain amount of fats in your diet to aid your digestion. A sensible amount of fat intake on your diet should be 25-30% of the calories you ingest. The vegetable fats or oils, especially those polyunsaturated fats that are rich in omega-3, are more likely to be cholesterol friendly and better diet choices.

The meat and alternatives food group could include not only meat, but tofu, eggs, beans or peanut butter. All of these foods are excellent sources of protein. Vegetarian dieters would include the tofu, beans and peanut butter for their source of proteins, while meat-eaters could include a variety of meats, such as chicken, pork, veal, beef, venison, etc., as well as eggs. For dieters who are female, your diet should include as least two servings of meat and alternatives per day. Male dieters should include three servings.

Within the dairy category of foods, you could opt for milk, yoghurt or cheese products. Both male and female diets should include at least two servings per day from the dairy food group.

The grains food group could include cereal, bagels or breads. Also foods like rice and pasta would be included in this group. A serving size would be approximately 3 oz. Females should have about six or seven servings of grains per day, while males should have eight.

The fruits and vegetables category contains all sorts of fruits and vegetables and can also include 100% fruit or vegetables juices. It is better to eat more of the dark leafy vegetables while you are trying to lose weight, but it is also important to include other types as well. In fact, the best rule when choosing which vegetables and fruits to eat are to choose from all spectrums of the rainbow. Females should include seven to eight servings per day, while males should include eight to ten servings.

It is important to note that the above dietary guidelines are for people aged 19 to 50. As mentioned, it is also important to consider your portion sizes when you are trying to lose weight.

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