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Health

The “Varied” Diet

February 22, 2010

Key principles of good eating and a good diet include balance, moderation, and variety.

My term for a good diet is a “varied” diet.

What is a “varied” diet?  One that contains the various types of foods recommended in the “Dietary Guidelines for Americans”, published by the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Agriculture.  These organizations’ take on what a good diet looks like is illustrated via their new food pyramid (see http://www.mypyramid.gov/ for more details).

What types of foods are recommended?   Those in the list below:

Vegetables
Fruits
Grains
Lean meats, fish, poultry
Nuts, seeds, and legumes
Fats and oils
Low fat or no-fat Dairy
Sweets (these are optional, should be minimized, and are included for those with a sweet tooth.  Try gelatin or frozen or fresh fruit to satisfy sweet cravings).

Attempt to get some of each of these food types in your diet every day (except for sweets) if possible, and at the very least, on most days.  There should be more servings of fruits and vegetables than any other food type.

An example day of eating for an active, good sized (200 lb.) man that includes all of these food groups might look something like this:

Breakfast: whole wheat squares with skim milk, tablespoon of flaxseed oil (grains, no-fat dairy, oils/fats)
Snack: Pear, Green beans (fruit, vegetable)
Lunch: Chicken sandwich on whole wheat bread, apple (lean meat, grains, fruit)

Snack: Peach, green beans, nuts (fruit, vegetables, nuts)
Dinner: whole wheat spaghetti with tomato sauce, and lean ground turkey, spinach salad (grains, vegetables, lean meat)
Snack: apple, walnuts, cashews, almonds, sockeye salmon fish oil supplement (fruit, nuts, oil)

Note that the fat and oils in this sample come predominantly from are “good” fats!  See these two posts — http://www.darrylpace.com/how-much-fat/ and http://www.darrylpace.com/more-fat-talk/ — for more information on fats we should eat.

Also, note that some people may be allergic to certain foods.  Those that are should, of course, substitute foods that are agreeable with their body.