Test Your Knowledge of What a Balanced Diet Means

Eating a variety of foods each day is part of having a healthy diet. You should be including all of these food groups in your meals and snacks each day: Fruits, Vegetables, Grains, Meat & Beans, Dairy, Oils, Fats and Sugars; unless of course your doctor has placed you on a special diet. Not only are these foods tasty, but also they give you energy to accomplish tasks, and to play. Most people today say they are too busy to prepare, or sit down and enjoy a meal, so they grab something as they run out the door, or worse yet, they totally skip a meal. Your body needs food so it can function properly.

A balanced diet means something different for an adult than it does for a child. Most people have heard of The Food Pyramid, well not everyone’s food pyramid looks the same. Different ages, sex and activity levels require different amounts of each food group. A male, aged 50, who gets an average of 30 to 60 minutes of exercise a day should follow a 2400 calorie diet, this includes 8oz of grains, 3 cups of vegetables, 2 cups of fruits, 3 cups of milk, and 6.5oz of meat & beans per day. On a weekly basis this same individual would need to consume 3 cups of dark green vegetables, 2 cups of orange vegetables, 3 cups of dry beans or peas, 6 cups of a starchy vegetable, and 7 cups of other vegetables per week for a balanced diet. Fats, sugars and oils are part of a balanced diet in moderation. No more than 7 tsp of oil per day and no more than 360 calories from fats and sugars per day for this individual. In contrast a younger male, say age 25 getting the same 30 to 60 minutes of exercise a day would require the same amount of milk per day but the rest of the food pyramid increases to 10 oz of grains, 3.5 cups of vegetables, 2.5 cups of fruits, and 7oz of meats and beans. How does the balanced diet change for say a 50-year-old female who sits most of the day and gets less than 30 minutes of exercise per day? To have a balanced diet, she should consume only 6oz of grain, 2.5 cups of vegetables, 1.5 cups of fruits, 3 cups of milk, and 5oz of meats and beans.