Dietary Guidelines in 2010 suggest filling half of your plate with fruits and vegetables. The other half of the plate is divided into protein and whole grains. I encourage my clients to dedicate half of their refrigerator space to produce. An easy way to include a variety of fruits and veggies in your diet is to think of a rainbow, and eat as many colors as possible: Red, purple, orange, green, white, blue. Be sure your produce is chopped, portioned and ready to eat.
Veggies
The new dietary guidelines for Americans encourage eating a wide variety of vegetables. Make a special effort to include green leafy and orange-colored veggies in your shopping cart, as they are rich in beta carotene and vitamin C, which help with exercise recovery.
Your cooking method can make or break you. Steamed veggies retain 83-100 percent of their nutrients. Boiled and drained veggies hang on to about half that. Raw veggies are the most nutritious, but the amount of time they spend hanging out in the produce aisle and your crisper bin can impact how nutritious they remain. Plan to consume fresh produce in a day or two.
In general, one cup of raw or cooked vegetables or vegetable juice, or two cups of raw leafy greens can be considered as one cup. Use the following information to learn how much you need daily:
Children
Age 2-3: 1 cup
Age 4-8: 1-1/2 cups
Girls
Age 9-13: 2 cups
Age 14-18: 2-1/2 cups
Boys
Age 9-13: 2-1/2 cups
Age 14-18: 3 cups
Women
Age 19-50: 2-1/2 cups
Age 51+: 2 cups
Men
Age 19-50: 3 cups
Age 51+: 2-1/2 cups
Fruits
Packed with fiber, antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties, fruit is a nutritional star. But berries are the superstars. I encourage berry consumption because they work like cleanup crews in the body, scavenging and repairing damaged tissue from exercise and activity. They’re also rich in vitamin C and antioxidants called anthcyanins, which help knock out pain as well. Beware that they can mold quickly. Keep them in the crisper, and enjoy one or two servings daily.
In most instances, one medium- or large-sized fruit, cup of sliced fruit or 100 percent fruit juice, or half cup of dried fruit can be considered as one cup.
Children
Age 2-3: 1 cup
Age 4-8: 1 to 1-1/2 cups
Girls
Age 9-13: 1-1/2 cups
Age 14-18: 1-1/2 cups
Boys
Age 9-13: 1-1/2 cups
Age 14-18: 2 cups
Women
Age 19-30: 2 cups
Age 31-50: 1-1/2 cups
Age 51+: 1-1/2 cups
Men
Age 19-50: 2 cups
Age 51+: 2 cups
Whole Grains
Whole grain means the food contains all parts of the grain—the bran, germ, and endosperm. The health benefits of whole grains have been well-researched and include weight management, heart health, cancer and diabetes prevention, and digestive wellness.
In addition to the most commonly consumed grain in America—wheat—there are other unique grains to try, such as barley, rye, quinoa, amaranth and teff. The one grain many of us know all too well is bread, often referred to as the “staff of life.” In this case, size matters, and bigger is not better. Some wraps and bagels are equivalent to 400 calories or more. Another warning: You may not taste the salt in bread, but it’s in there, often in shockingly high amounts. Be sure to read the label and choose varieties that are less than a 120mg of sodium per serving.
How much whole grain is enough? It depends on your age, sex, and level of physical activity. Here are some general recommendations from the ChooseMyPlate.gov website. The amounts listed are best suited for those who get fewer than 30 minutes of moderate physical activity daily, in addition to their normal daily tasks. Those who are more active may need to increase their intake of whole grains.
Children
Age 2-3: 3 ounces
Age 4-8: 5 ounces
Girls
Age 9-13: 5 ounces
Age 14-18: 6 ounces
Boys
Age 9-13: 6 ounces
Age 14-18: 8 ounces
Women
Age 19-50: 6 ounces
Age 51+: 5 ounces
Men
Age 19-30: 8 ounces
Age 31-50: 7 ounces
Age 51+: 6 ounces
Protein
Without protein, your body would be reduced to a pile of quivering goo. Protein is a building block for the cells in your body. You need it to peform everyday biochemical functions. Here’s the hook: You do not possess an onboard storage depot of it, as you do for carbs and fat. You must eat protein daily to meet your body’s demand.
What foods are best? Meat, poultry, seafood, beans, peas, eggs, soy, nuts, and seeds all count as part of the protein portion of the USDA MyPlate. Ideally, you should get a healthy combination of both lean animal protein and plant-based protein, though a well-planned vegetarian or vegan diet can meet all your protein needs.
How much do you need? You have to consider age, gender, and activity level. The recommendation for the general population is .8 grams per kilogram of ideal body weight (divide your weight by 2.2 pounds to find out how many kilograms you are). But this might not be enough for some FitStudio types! The International Society of Sport Nutrition recommends that active folks consume in the range of 1.4 to 2.0 grams per kilogram daily. What you do with the protein you eat determines it’s function. Eat more protein than your body needs? It’s stored as extra calories (aka “fat”). Want to build muscle? You need to exercise to turn that protein into muscle.
The list below offers basic guidelines for people who get less than 30 minutes of moderate exercise daily, outside of your usual daily tasks. One ounce of meat, poultry or fish, 1/4 cup cooked beans, one egg, one tablespoon of peanut butter, or 1/2 ounce of nuts or seeds is equivalent to one ounce.
Children
Age 2-3: 2 ounces
Age 4-8: 4 ounces
Girls
Age 9-18: 5 ounces
Boys
Age 9-13: 5 ounces
Age 14-18: 6-1/2 ounces
Women
Age 19-30: 5-1/2 ounces
Age 31+: 5 ounces
Men
Age 19-30: 6-1/2 ounces
Age 31-50: 6 ounces
Age 51+: 5-1/2 ounces
All information in these lists are adapted from www.choosemyplate.gov.
Author David Grotto is a FitStudio advisory board member, registered dietitian and the founder and president of Nutrition Housecall. He is the author of 101 Foods That Could Save Your Life and 101 Optimal Life Foods. He served as a national spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association for more than six years.
