How to Follow the Food Pyramid

Eating a nutritious diet can help you improve your overall health, fight off diseases, maintain a healthy weight and feel great. Using the guidelines laid out in the USDA food pyramid, you can easily achieve a healthier, more balanced diet.

Instructions

• 1

  Aim for 6 oz. of grains every day, and try to make at least half of those servings whole grains. A 1 oz. serving of grains includes a slice of bread, 1 cup of cold cereal or 1/2 cup cooked pasta.

• 2

  Eat 2 1/2 cups of vegetables each day, focusing on dark green, leafy vegetables like spinach and broccoli, and orange vegetables like carrots and sweet potatoes. You can also use a variety of beans to fulfill your daily vegetable servings.

• 3

  Focus on fresh fruit. Frozen, dried or canned fruit make reasonable substitutes to achieve your 2 cups of fruit daily, but limit your intake of fruit juices, which contain too much added sugar.

• 4

  Choose low-fat or fat-free dairy products like milk, cheese and yogurt. Aim for 3 cups per day of dairy.

• 5

  Eat lean and low-fat protein products. Fish, nuts, beans and lean cuts of meat work well, as long as you don't fry them or cook them in rich sauces. Overall, you should eat about 5 1/2 oz. of protein products per day.

• 6

  Limit your consumption of fatty, salty and sugary foods. These foods aren't taboo, but they should be eaten sparingly, since the goal of a balanced diet is to focus on nutrient-rich foods.