Chapter 8 Making Healthy Choices 147 Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. from each food group to form almost any combi- nation of meals and snacks (Figure 8.10). Meeting Your Daily Needs How can the various resources be used to help meet daily nutritional needs? An easy way to begin is to plan menus using MyPlate (Figure 8.11). Include the recommended number of daily servings in your meals throughout the day. Keep the Dietary Guidelines for Americans in mind as you select foods. You can use the DRIs to help you evaluate your menu plans. These recommended nutrient intakes can show you whether your menus will provide you with all the nutrients you need. Be sure to consider all beverages, condiments, and snack foods as well as meal items. Food Group Examples Food Group What Counts? Typical Foods Grains Group 1 ounce-equivalent: • 1 slice bread • 1 cup (250 mL) dry cereal • ½ cup (125 mL) cooked cereal, rice, or pasta Whole grains: brown rice, bulgur, oatmeal, popcorn, whole-grain barley and corn, whole-grain cereals and crackers, whole-wheat breads, wild rice • Refined grains: enriched cereals, crackers, and pasta flour and corn tortillas white breads white rice Vegetable Group 1 cup-equivalent: • 1 cup (250 mL) fresh or cooked cut vegetables • 1 cup (250 mL) vegetable juice • 2 cups (500 mL) raw leafy vegetables • Dark green vegetables: broccoli collard, turnip, and mustard greens romaine spinach • Red and orange vegetables: carrots, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, winter squash, tomatoes, red peppers, beets • Beans, peas, and lentils: kidney, lima, and navy beans black-eyed peas chickpeas lentils tofu • Starchy vegetables: corn, green peas, white potatoes • Other vegetables: bok choy, cucumbers, eggplant, green beans, lettuce, okra, onions, pea pods, green bell peppers, summer squash Fruit Group 1 cup-equivalent: • 1 cup (250 mL) fresh or canned fruit • 1 cup (250 mL) fruit juice • ½ cup (125 mL) dried fruit Apples, apricots, bananas, blueberries, cantaloupe, cherries, figs, fruit juice, grapefruit, grapes, kiwifruit, mangoes, oranges, papayas, peaches, pineapple, plums, raisins, strawberries, watermelon Dairy Group 1 cup-equivalent: • 1 cup (250 mL) milk or yogurt • 1½ ounces (43 g) hard cheese • 2 ounces (57 g) process cheese • 2 cups (500 mL) cottage cheese Buttermilk, calcium-fortified soy milk, cheese, cottage cheese, fat-free milk, frozen yogurt, goat’s milk, ice cream, kefir, low-fat milk, whole milk, yogurt Protein Foods Group 1 ounce-equivalent: • 1 ounce (28 g) cooked lean meat, poultry, or seafood • 1 egg • 1 tablespoon (15 mL) peanut butter • ¼ cup (60 mL) cooked dry beans or tofu • ½ ounce (14 g) nuts or seeds Beef, beans, peas, chicken, eggs, fish, lamb, lentils, nuts, peanut butter, pork, rabbit, refried beans, seeds, shellfish, tofu, turkey, veal, venison Top to bottom: ©iStock.com/maggeee ©iStock.com/JelenaAloskina ©iStock.com/Boardin1Now ©iStock.com/letterberry ©iStock.com/Bignai Figure 8.9 Choose a variety of foods from each MyPlate food group to get your daily recommended amounts of food.