More on Portions

This week I've started to the topic of serving sizes with the food groups. Today I'll finsh up.

• Of all the food groups, vegetables are the most neglected yet the most important because of the valuable vitamin, antioxidant and phytonutrient composition for preventing disease (and discouraging the aging process). One half cup of cooked vegetables or one cup raw of vegetables make up a serving. The government suggests "five a day" (including fruit) but other leading health organizations (AHA and ADA) are suggesting more like nine to eleven servings a day (including both fruits and veggies). Yes it may seem like a lot but you literally have to plan  them your day. Have two veggie servings at lunch and two at dinner and you are almost there. How hard is that, really?
• Fats are an important health nutrient but too many of the wrong kind or just too many can add up fast in calories if you are watching your weight, so be careful. In restaurants you can't even find them most of the time because they are so well diguised. Fats are also invisible in protein sources so refer back to the Mayo clinic's list here and then refer to this exchange list on fats.
• There's also a dairy list. If you are eating all your leafy greens and other veggies you only need one to two servings a day from this list. Yogurts may contain a lot of fat, sugar, artificial ingredients/colors, binders and fillers so read your labels carefully. No one needs any of that. To keep it simple just remember it's usually just eight ounces of 1% or non-fat milk or 1 cup of plain non-fat yogurt (you can sweeten your yogurt with natural stevia (Truvia is considered a better tasting version) and fruit.

Later this week I'll show you what it might look like in a day's menu.