Nutrition / Frugality Series: What Foods & How Much?
Deciding what to eat and how much is a logical starting point in this series on frugality and nutrition. Nutritionists tell us that the best way to accomplish the balanced nutrition our bodies need is to consume the appropriate amount of calories for our age, gender, and level of activity by eating a variety of nutritious foods over the course of each day. A healthy diet will emphasize whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and fat-free or low-fat milk and dairy products… protein sources like lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts… with no trans fats and low in saturated fats, cholesterol, salt, and added sugars.
| Total Recommended Calories Per Day | ||
| Children ages 2 to 6, women, some older adults | Older children, teen girls, active women, most men | Teen boys and active men |
| 1,600 calories | 2,200 calories | 2,800 calories |
The following information comes from the USDA’s dietary guidelines and represents the government’s current food recommendations for healthy people. These charts are a good starting point for planning nutritious meals for your family.
| Grains Group (Bread, Cereal, Rice, Pasta… try to make at least half of your grain servings whole grains) One serving is: 1/2 cup of cooked cereal, rice, or pasta about 1 cup of ready-to-eat cereal 1 slice of bread |
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| Children ages 2 to 6, women, some older adults | Older children, teen girls, active women, most men | Teen boys and active men |
| 6 servings each day | 9 servings each day | 11 servings each day |
| Vegetable Group (Include dark green and orange vegetables) One serving is: 1/2 cup of cooked or raw vegetables 1 cup of raw leafy vegetables 3/4 cup of vegetable juice |
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| Children ages 2 to 6, women, some older adults | Older children, teen girls, active women, most men | Teen boys and active men |
| 3 servings each day | 4 servings each day | 5 servings each day |
| Fruit Group (Aim for a variety of fruits… fresh, frozen, canned… limit fruit juice) One serving is: 1/2 cup of chopped, cooked, or canned fruit 1 medium apple, banana, orange, pear 3/4 cup of fruit juice |
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| Children ages 2 to 6, women, some older adults | Older children, teen girls, active women, most men | Teen boys and active men |
| 2 servings each day | 3 servings each day | 4 servings each day |
| Milk, Yogurt, and Cheese Group (Preferably fat-free or low-fat) One serving is: 1 1/2 ounces of natural cheese (cheddar, etc.) 2 ounces of processed cheese (American, etc.) 1 cup yogurt 1 cup milk |
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| Children ages 2 to 6, women, some older adults | Older children, teen girls, active women, most men | Teen boys and active men | 2 or 3 servings each day | 2 or 3 servings each day | 2 or 3 servings each day |
| Meat and Beans Group (Lean meat, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts) One serving is: 2-3 ounces of cooked lean meat, poultry, or fish These substitutions count as 1 ounce of meat: |
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| Children ages 2 to 6, women, some older adults | Older children, teen girls, active women, most men | Teen boys and active men |
| 2 servings each day, for a total of 5 ounces |
2 servings each day, for a total of 6 ounces |
3 servings each day, for a total of 7 ounces |
| Serving Size Guidelines for Children 1 to 2 Years Old | |
| Milk/Dairy (WHOLE MILK… NOT low-fat, skim, or fat-free) 16 to 20 ounces of whole milk per day Or: |
Fruits and Vegetables (Cubed, pureed, or mashed) 5 or more servings per day One serving is: |
| Grains
3 to 4 servings per day One serving is: |
Meat, Fish, Beans, Eggs
2 servings per day One serving is: |
And finally, don’t overlook the importance of being physically active… at least thirty minutes MOST days for adults and sixty minutes for children and teenagers is the current recommendation.
Note: I am aware that there are many other dietary guidelines “out there,” and even other food pyramids. I have chosen to work with the U.S. government guidelines because I feel they are the most in tune with the way the majority of people eat and are a great STARTING POINT for better nutrition and more balanced meals… and that they will be the most helpful to those readers who have asked for help in eliminating processed foods from their family’s diet. My choice also reflects my personal beliefs… I do not buy into the anti-milk argument, unless there is an allergy. I AM definitely anti-soy, and not just for people with an allergy, and there is no way I will endorse a food plan that promotes soy in place of other proteins. I would urge anyone who is unhappy with the government food plan to research and choose their own alternative… one I like is the Harvard Healthy Eating Pyramid.
Written by Shirley | Filed Under Cooking & Baking from Scratch, Frugality & Nutrition series
Comments
Comment by George G.:
This is a wonderful post — thank you — I have tried to find this information from various sources without much luck and here you have it all together in a nice easy-to-read form. I am really going to enjoy this series.
Comment by Patti B, mother of 6:
I like your emphasis on nutrition. It is the first step in any menu planning, or it should be, but so often it gets pushed to the last step in favor of saving money at all costs. I have six Little Ones entrusted to my care and it is up to me to make sure they are getting what they need at meal times. I think your series is going to make that job a little easier. Thank you.
Comment by Esther T.:
I can see by looking at these charts that I need to work on my meal planning some. I try to keep meals nutricious but I think some of my figures were off as far as what people should be getting is concerned. Will you be giving some sample menus before the series is over? That would really be helpful to people like me who need just a little more step by step detail. Planning meals and trying to keep on budget is hard!
Comment by Shirley:
Thank you… yes, Esther, there will be sample menus with meals using the nutrition requirements and with an eye towards frugality. Also some recipes for dishes in these menus!
Comment by Josh:
Hi, first off I want to thank you for this great blog. Your posts are very insightful and heart warming and have been a source of many hours of learning and diversion. Even though you say in this post that are pretty set on USDA guidelines, I still would recommend reading up on The Healthy Eating Pyramid by The Harvard School of Public Health: http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/pyramid-full-story/index.html I think you are already implementing most of the advice from this pyramid anyway, but in a nut shell it mainly takes into consideration good and bad carbs, meat, and fats instead of lumping them all together without distinction. The main problem with relying on the USDA’s guidelines are that they are based only loosely on science and are created mainly to benefit agricultural business. Advice such as minimizing all fats is down right dangerous when they should make up a large portion of your diet so long as you stick with the good fats. If you want a more detailed reading on The Healthy Eating Pyramid and all the science that went into it, check out the book Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy, by Walter C. Willett. Thanks again for this wonderful blog.
Comment by Shirley:
Josh, thank you for the kind comments. Unless I am confusing this with something else, and I don’t think I am, I actually was going to use the Harvard pyramid plan when I first was writing this article, and the only reason I didn’t was because at the time they were recommending soy so heavily. After reading your message I have just looked at the plan again and I am amazed to see that the soy emphasis is no longer there. So without it I agree… the Harvard plan is good advice… I will be adding a second pyramid post about it to this nutrition series in the next few days. Thanks for mentioning this. I wouldn’t have looked at the Harvard plan again without your comment.
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