110 Nutrition & Wellness for Life Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Additionally, the plan makes recommendations for physical activity to help people balance food intake and to promote healthy weight. Your level of physical activity influences the amount of food you should consume. MyPlate also has tools for children, women who are pregnant or breast-feeding, and individuals who speak Spanish. You will want to access the other tools on ChooseMyPlate.gov as you read this textbook. Measuring Food Amounts You must know how to measure the various amounts of foods your MyPlate Plan recommends. Because people often have very different ideas about the size of a serving, MyPlate uses volume and weight measures to describe the amounts of food you should eat. MyPlate lists amounts of foods using measures such as cups, teaspoons, tablespoons, ounces, or their equivalents. For example, 32 seed- less grapes are equivalent to one cup of fruit, or one cup-equivalent. The amount of food that is served at restaurants or that you serve yourself at home may be larger than the amounts suggested on your MyPlate Plan. Frequently eating more calories than you need to balance your activity level can cause you to gain weight. Therefore, it is important to be aware of the amounts your MyPlate Plan recommends, and then read the labels on food products to learn how many cup- or ounce-equivalents the package contains. The serving sizes used on food labels are the amounts that people typically consume, not recommended amounts. Therefore, you need to determine how the serving size on the label fits into your MyPlate Plan. Figure 5.5 lists some common foods from each of the food groups and describes how to measure amounts of each. (ChooseMyPlate.gov provides more extensive lists of food amounts.) EXTEND YOUR KNOWLEDGE Mediterranean-Style Eating Pattern The Healthy Mediterranean-Style Eating Pattern is similar to the US (MyPlate) Healthy Eating Pattern. Both of these eating patterns are recommended in the Dietary Guidelines. How do these eating patterns compare? The Mediterranean-style eating pattern is based on typical foods, beverages, and recipes of Mediterranean- style cooking. It includes more fruits and seafood, and less dairy than the US Healthy Eating Pattern. It focuses on fresh, unprocessed foods, whole grains, and plant- based foods. Butter is often replaced with olive or canola oil. Herbs and spices are used instead of salt. For someone who consumes 2,000 calories per day, a Mediterranean-style eating pattern includes • 2½ cup-equivalents of vegetables • 2½ cup-equivalents of fruit • 6 ounce-equivalents of grains • 2 cup-equivalents of dairy and • 6½ ounce-equivalents of protein foods, including fatty fish, beans, nuts, seeds, poultry, and eggs in moderation, and little red meat. Socializing at mealtime and engaging in physical activity are a large part of the Mediterranean culture. Evidence has been gathered over time that this diet pattern has the health benefit of heart disease prevention. Foxys Forest Manufacture/Shutterstock.com