Nutrition Science and Everyday Application - beta v 0.1

TOOLS FOR ACHIEVING A HEALTHY DIET 71
Figure 1.22. Cup- and ounce-equivalents for different food groups within MyPlate.
Planning a healthy diet using the MyPlate approach is not difficult:
• Fill half of your plate with a variety of fruits and vegetables, including red,
orange, and dark green vegetables and fruits, such as kale, collard greens,
tomatoes, sweet potatoes, broccoli, apples, oranges, grapes, bananas, blueberries,
and strawberries in main and side dishes. Vary your choices to get the benefit of as
many different vegetables and fruits as you can. One hundred percent fruit juice is
also an acceptable choice as long as only half your fruit intake is replaced with
juice.
• Fill a quarter of your plate with grains. Half of your daily grain intake should be
whole grains such as 100 percent whole-grain cereals, breads, crackers, rice,
and pasta. Read the ingredients list on food labels carefully to determine if a food
is comprised of whole grains. We will discuss how to identify whole grains in more
detail in later units.