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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