Each food group (Grains, Milk, Fruits, Vegetables, and Meat & Beans) provides valuable nutrients that our bodies need in order to function properly and to help prevent disease. Our bodies are amazingly intricate as they perform thousands and thousands of processes every day. Those processes require nutrients, like vitamins and minerals, from each of the food groups.When we don’t provide our bodies with the appropriate amount of nutrients, we suffer.

Many of our nation’s top killers (e.g., heart disease, stroke, cancer, Type 2 diabetes and obesity) have direct links to our diets.

We don’t have to follow what some would call a “health nut” diet in order to decrease our risk for disease and maintain a healthy weight. All you need to do is simply make small, gradual changes in your eating habits. It’s really not as hard as you may think. Also, if you struggle with reaching and maintaining a healthy weight, keep in mind that: When you begin to eat adequate amounts from each of the basic food groups, you’ll have less room for some of the not-so-healthy foods that may be contributing to your weight. You’ll notice that the chart below includes the number of servings needed for each group daily and the serving sizes, but that’s not because I think you should be imprisoned by numbers and measurements. Rather, it’s just to give you a basic idea of how much you need to meet your nutrient needs and to give you a baseline for your current diet.

Food Group: Grains

Servings Per Day: 5-8

Serving Sizes: 1 slice whole wheat bread, 1 cup dry cereal, 1/2 whole wheat bagel, 1/2 English muffin, small dinner roll or muffin, 1/2 cup cooked cereal, 1/2 cup brown rice, 3 cups popcorn, 1/2 cup whole wheat pasta, 6 soda crackers, 3 graham cracker squares, 1 tortilla

Food Group: Milk

Servings Per Day: 3

Serving Sizes: 1 cup skim or 1% milk, 1 cup low-fat yogurt, 2 slices cheese, 1/3 cup shredded cheese

Food Group: Fruit

Servings Per Day: 3-4

Serving Sizes: 1/2 cup chopped fresh, 1/2 cup canned (light), small piece whole fresh, 1/2 cup berries, 1/2 grapefruit, 16 grapes, 1/4 cup dried, 1/2 cup 100% juice (4 oz.)

Food Group: Vegetables

Servings Per Day: 4-6

Serving Sizes: 1/2 cup cooked, 1/2 cup raw chopped, 6 baby carrots, 1 cup raw leafy, 1/2 cup juice (4 oz.)

Food Group: Meat & Beans

Servings Per Day: 5-6 oz.

Serving Sizes: 1 oz. lean meat, fish, or poultry, 1 oz. cheese, 1/4 cup low-fat cottage cheese, 1/4 cup canned tuna or salmon, 1 egg or 1/4 cup egg substitute, 1/2 oz. nuts or seeds, 1 Tbsp peanut butter

April Adams
http://www.AntiFadDiet.com

I am a Registered Dietitian and author with years of experience in weight loss counseling. If you are tired of wasting your time on fad diets and are ready to learn how to eat healthier and lose weight in the most practical, painless way possible, please visit my website. I have recently written a book entitled Back to Basics: A Practical Guide to Healthier Eating and Weight Loss that provides my no non-sense tips to help you cut unnecessary calories from your diet and better meet your body’s nutrient needs.

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Health, endurance, vitality and fitness is a shortcoming of humanity as of now. It is very important to keep a watchful eye on how much physical activity you employ to yourself on a daily basis.

Walking everyday for at least one hour to stabilize fitness and endurance, household chores everyday also play their part in keeping a steady and healthy circulatory system. Stretching the muscles also keeps the body loose and lively and increases elasticity and extra strength in the tendons and muscles. If staying in shape is a difficult task due to lack of knowledge on the subject, study the practices of tai chi or yoga. For people of higher bodily tolerance of strenuous activities,the martial arts are some of the best, extracurricular activities to take part in.

Anyone can lose weight and live a very healthy lifestyle, it’s just up to you to change you mindset and always have a goal set. For example; you can say to yourself "I’m going to lose 2-3 pounds this week and overall lose 10 pounds for the whole week. This has helped me tremendously. I was once 130 pounds and in two months I lost 20 pounds.

I’m not saying this is going to work for everyone I do understand that everybody isn’t the same but like I said in order for you to succeed your goals and live a healthier life, You have to make a very big effort.In conclusion strange things are happening around us everyday we are constantly dependent on things day to day that are fragile and cannot last forever(cars,planes,trucks and trains). So it is absolutely imperative that we prepare our bodies and minds to do without some of the machinery, appliances and luxuries that incorporates lethargy, laziness and dependent more and more in our everyday lives.

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