18/11/2019
A quick overview as to what your daily diet should resemble...
ChooseMyPlate suggests that half of our plate at each meal should include fruits and vegetables. A quarter of our plate should be grains (ideally whole grains), and the last quarter of our plate should be a protein source. They also emphasize the importance of calcium.
All of this considered, at the end of our days we should have consumed about 2-3 cups of vegetables, 2 cups of fruits, 5.5 - 6.5 ounces of protein, 6 ounces of whole grains and 3 cups of dairy (900 mg of calcium).
Okay... that's a lot of information.
What does 5.5 - 6.5 ounces of protein look like? Well, 3 ounces of protein is about the size of the palm of your hand, or a deck of cards. Shoot for about 2 of these servings daily.
What does 1 ounce of whole grains look like? Well that could be 1 slice of bread, 1 cup of cereal, 1/2 cup of rice or pasta, or 1 six inch corn/flour tortilla, to name a few. Shoot for about 6 of these servings daily.
As for dairy consumption, the actual objective is the calcium found within the dairy. 1 cup of cows milk or fortified soy milk contains about 300 mg of calcium -- shoot for about 3 cups of these servings daily.
Hopefully this paints a clearer picture as to what our daily diet should reflect.
