Eat Healthy: Balancing the Food Groups

Do you eat to live or live to eat?

Either way - food is essential.

Food is divided into different groups. Understand each of the food groups to keep a balanced and healthy diet!

A balanced diet is the key to general well-being! Harvard's School of Public Health has come up with an easy way to make sure you are eating enough of each food group, in each meal. The concept is "The Healthy Eating plate. "

Copyright ? 2008. For more information about The Healthy Eating Pyramid, please see The Nutrition Source, Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, www.thenutritionsource.org, and and Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy, by Walter C. Willett, M.D., and Patrick J. Skerrett (2005), Free Press/Simon & Schuster Inc.”

This food group includes everything from butter to chocolate to oil. There are certain fats that are good for us (unsaturated fats) and other fats are processed which we should try to avoid (saturated fats). It is recommended that we limit the amount of food we eat from this group.

This food group is mostly made up of proteins - which contain essential nutrients our body needs to grow. Try to vary your protein intake and consume less red meats, with high fat contents which can lead to heart issues, and more white meats, like chicken and fish.

The variety in this group is endless! Fruits and vegetables are typically lower in sugar and higher in fibre. This helps our digestive system.

The recommended daily serving is 5 servings of vegetables and 2 servings of fruit.

Another common name for this group is carbohydrates; they are a great source of energy and fibre. Try to eat less white, processed carbohydrates like white bread. Instead, choose multi-grain breads and pasta to gain the maximum nutritional benefit.

Next time you are preparing dinner or deciding what to eat at a restaurant, think about the food groups. Choose a meal that keeps a balance of all the groups!