Page 23 - HLIF Manual

BALANCED MEALS

AT HOME & ON THE RUN

LEARNING OBJECTIVE
- Basic Food Groups
- Understanding the importance of nutrition
- Making balanced choices at home and on the run

There is more than one way to eat healthy and everyone will have their own style. Making healthier choices
will reflect on your preferences, culture, traditions and personal budget. You should aim for a variety of
foods and beverages from each food group and limit your saturated fat, sodium, and added sugars.

Food groups on the plate show you the amount of each food you should have to fill your plate and make a
well balanced meal. There are four basic food groups to choose from to get the most nutrition and meet
your personal calorie needs: fruits and vegetables, grain, dairy, and protein.

FRUITS AND VEGETABLES PROTEIN
• Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables. Think of • Protein foods include both animal (seafood, meat,
your plate as a rainbow and aim to eat multiple col- poultry, and eggs) and plant sources (nuts, beans,
ors. Different colored fruits and vegetables have seeds and soy).
different nutrient values. • Protein is a key part of a healthy daily diet! Your
• Aim to make half of your plate fruits and vegeta- bones, muscles, skin, blood, hair, and even nails are
bles. You’ll fill up faster and have typically have less all made up of protein!
calories than other food groups. • You can get protein in your diet from both plant
• On a budget? Fresh fruits and vegetables are and animal sources. Examples are fish, chicken,
great, but frozen or canned are just as good! Be beef, pork, eggs, nuts, beans seeds, soy, and much
sure to pick foods with no added sugars, salt, or more!
other preservatives and save a couple of dollars. • Meat can have a lot of excess fat that can hurt a
They last longer too! healthy diet. Focus on lean meats such as chicken,
• If you’re looking for something sweet for dessert, turkey and fish.
fresh fruit can do the trick. All of the sweetness,
none of the guilt! DAIRY
• Consuming dairy products provide many health
GRAINS benefits- especially in your bones! Dairy is packed
• Grains aka “Carbs” are necessary for energy! In- in nutrients like calcium, potassium, vitamin D and
clude healthy carbs in your diet like bread, pasta, protein!
and rice. • Eat limited amounts of cheese, milk, and
• Aim for whole grain! They provide the most nu- yogurt in your diet.
trition and dietary fiber. Look for brown rice and • Be careful when you choose your dairy
choose 100% whole grain bread, pasta, products. Choosing foods that are high in saturated
bagels, and tortillas. fats raise “bad” cholesterol in the blood. Choose 1%
or fat free food products.

COACH’S NOTES
Use the My Plate food guide on the next page as a visual as you’re going through each category. As you
introduce a new food group, ask the participants for examples before going into the details for each
group.
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