Grains

You need to consume 6 ounces of grain a day. Out of the 6 ounces, you can get 3 ounces from whole grain cereals, breads, rice, crackers, or pasta. Each single slice of bread, or 1 cut of cereal, will fetch you an additional ounce.

Vegetables

Eat different kinds of vegetables, but make sure that you eat around 2 ½ cups of them each day. Have more of the dark variants, like broccoli and spinach. You can also have carrots and sweet potatoes, or dry beans, like peas, pinto beans, and even kidney beans.

Fruits

Fruits are essential as well. Have 2 cups of them each day. You have many options, fresh, frozen, canned, or even dried fruit. Fruit juices are beneficial too. However, have them abstemiously.

Milk

Milk is a rich source of calcium. While adults need around 3 cups, kids aged between 2 and 8 need 2 cups a day. While choosing dairy products or yoghurt, opt for the low fat variants. And those of you who are allergic to milk, or don’t want to have it, can pick the products which are lactose-free but calcium rich. Many such fortified fruits and vegetables are available in stores now.

Meat and beans

Try to keep your protein consumption low, around 5 ounces a day. Both meats and beans are ideal sources of protein. Before eating meat, always bake it, grill it or broil it, so that you don’t eat grease as well. You can also have fish, beans, peas, and nuts.

Avoid solid fats like butter, margarine, shortening, and lard as much as possible. True, they carry a lot of flavor, but they carry a lot of cholesterol as well, which is unhealthy. Hence avoid fats and food that contains them.

To know the content of saturated fat, Trans fat, and sodium in the food you buy, check the nutrition facts label. The lesser the percentage of each of this, the healthier is the food. The label will give you all the information about the nutrition content of the food.

Picking your food wisely, and watching what you eat, is vital for the fruition of your goal of staying healthy. Exercise is a good weapon against unhealthiness as well. Irrespective of your age, a healthy lifestyle keeps diseases at bay, and maintains your active lifestyle for years and years.

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Fruits

Apricots

Apricots can be eaten either dried or soft. These are rich in beta-carotene which prevents radical damage and protects eyes. A single apricot has 17 calories, 0 fats, and 1 gm of fiber.

Mango

Mangoes are rich in vitamin C and a single medium sized mango has around 57 mg of it, which is almost your daily dose. Apart from this, a mango also has antioxidants which prevents arthritis and boosts immune system.

Cantaloupe

Half a cantaloupe has 97 calories, 1 gram fat, and 2 grams fiber. Cantaloupes have around 117 mg of vitamin C, which is almost twice the daily dose. They also have potassium, which helps to lower blood pressure. Just half a melon has around 853 mg of potassium, twice the quantity in banana.

Tomato

A Tomato a day reduces the possibility of cancer of bladder, stomach, and colon almost to half. It has 26 calories, 0 fat, and only 1 gram fiber

Vegetables

Onions

Like tomatoes, onions also protect against cancer. One cup onion has 61 calories, 0 fat, and 3 grams of fiber.

Broccoli

Broccolis, apart from protecting against breast cancer, also have huge quantities of vitamin C and beta carotene. A cup of chopped broccoli has 25 calories, 0 fat, and 3 grams of fiber.

Spinach

Spinach contains carotenoids, and hence protects from  macular degeneration, a major cause of blindness in the elderly. A cup of spinach has 7 calories, 0 fat, and 1 gram of fiber

Grains, beans, and nuts

Peanuts

Peanuts, and some other nuts, lower the risk of heart diseases by around 20 percent. An ounce of peanuts has 166 calories, 14 grams of fat, and over 2 grams of fiber.

Pinto beans

Just half a cup of pinto beans a day meets 25 percent of daily folate requirement, thus protecting against heart diseases. Half a cup has 103 calories, 1 gram of fat, and 6 grams of fiber.

Skim milk

Skimmed milk has vitamin A as well as vitamin B2, which give you stronger eyesight, and an improved resistance against allergies. It also has calcium and vitamin D.   One cup contains 86 calories, 0 fat, and 0 fibers.

Seafood

Salmon

All the cold water fishes like salmon, mackerel, and  tuna are rich in omega 3 fatty acids, which greatly reduce the occurrence of cardiac diseases. A 3 ounce portion of salmon contains 127 calories, 4 grams of fat and 0 fiber.

Crab

Crabs are rich in vitamin B12 and zinc which boosts immunity. A 3 ounce serving of crab offers 84 calories, 1 gram of fat and 0 fiber.

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