diet chart

It is a well known fact, that following a nutritional and well balanced diet, on a daily basis, is essential for healthy living and a perhaps a longer life too. Therefore, it is advisable to adhere to a proper diet plan, so that your body gets all the necessary nutrients it requires, in the right quantities. In order to set a diet plan for yourself, you can take the help of a diet chart, to ensure that your body gets the right proportions of vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates and proteins. Moreover, a diet chart can also help you to ensure that your body gets its required caloric count for each day.

Given below, is a combination of the different food groups and their quantities that are a part of the diet chart:

• Grains: This food group includes food items such as pasta, bread, rice and most breakfast cereals. A healthy diet chart recommends a daily consumption of 6 to 8 ounces, for such grains.
• Vegetables: Vegetables like potatoes, tomatoes, peas, squash, carrots, broccoli, spinach, cucumbers, green beans and most other types of greens should be consumed in high quantities everyday. A recommended intake of vegetables is about 3 to 4 cups each day.
• Fruit: All healthy and fresh fruits like apples, pears, oranges, melons, peaches, grapefruit, pineapples, grapes, bananas, apricots, berries, mangoes, plums and papayas are a part of this food group. A diet chart states that you should eat around 2 cups of fresh fruits everyday.
• Dairy: This food group includes not jus milk, but products like cheese and yogurt too. The daily recommended intake of dairy products is 3 cups.
• Meat, beans, eggs and nuts: This group includes several food items such as meat, fish, poultry, eggs, dry beans and nuts. Around 5½ to 6½ ounces of foods from this group should be consumed everyday.
• Oil: This food group includes not just basic cooking oil, but also other products that are rich sources of oil, like soft margarine, butter, low-fat mayonnaise and light salad dressing. However, a diet chart states that your daily consumption of oils should not be more than 27 to 31 grams.
• Sweets: Foods that are high in sugar are the main part of this food group. Therefore, sweets, chocolates, cakes, pastries, cookies, pies and other desserts are a part of this group. Such foods should be eaten in limited quantities and preferably not everyday.

Before following a diet chart, it is best to consult your doctor or a qualified dietician, especially if you are suffering from any medical condition.