Chapter 7 The Foods You Eat
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You need to follow the recommended amounts in your food plan.
Use ounces to count the amount of grains you eat. An ounce-equivalent of
grains is one slice of bread, one-half cup cooked cereal, one small tortilla, or
one-half cup cooked pasta or rice.
Reading
Review
1. Which nutrients are found in foods from the grains group?
2. Why are whole-grain and enriched bread and cereal products good for you?
Vegetables
Vegetables provide important fiber and essential nutrients, such as
vitamins A and C. It is easy to remember which vegetables are high in
vitamin A by their color. Vitamin A is found in deep yellow or orange
vegetables such as carrots and sweet potatoes. This group includes fresh,
frozen, and canned vegetables, and vegetable juices.
Use cups to count the amount of vegetables you eat. Two cups of raw,
leafy vegetables count as one cup from the vegetables group. One cup of
cooked vegetables or juice is also equal to one cup from this group.
Reading
Review
1. What color are vegetables that are rich in vitamin A?
2. How should you count the amount of vegetables you eat every day?
Succeed in Life
Buying Vegetables
It is good to remember that when buying vegetables, the more colorful
ones have the most nutrients. The vegetable group is broken into the following
five subgroups:
„ green vegetables, such as broccoli, spinach, and kale
„ orange vegetables, such as carrots, winter squash, and sweet potatoes
„ dry beans and peas, such as kidney beans, tofu, and lentils
„ starchy vegetables, green peas, corn, and potatoes
„ other vegetables, such as celery, onions, and tomatoes
You do not need to eat vegetables from each of these subgroups daily.
You should, however, try to eat vegetables from all the subgroups weekly. Your
personalized MyPlate plan will tell you how many cups you need weekly from
each vegetable subgroup.