For a 2,000 calorie diet, you meet the amounts below from each food group. To find the amounts below from each of food group. To find the amounts that are right for you, go to MyPyramid.gov.
| Grains
Make half your grains whole |
Vegetables
Vary your veggies |
Fruits
Focus on Fruits |
Milk
Get your calcium-rich foods |
Meat & Beans
Go lean with protein |
| Eat at least 3 oz. of whole-grain cereals, breads, crackers, rice, or pasta every day
1 oz. is about 1 slice of bread, about 1 cup of breakfast cereal, or 1/2 cup of cooked rice, cereal, or pasta. |
Eat more dark-green veggies like broccoli, spinach, and other dark leafy greens
Eat more orange vegetables like carrots and sweet potatoes Eat more dry beans and peas like pinto beans, kidney beans, and lentils |
Eat a variety of fruit
Choose fresh, frozen, canned, or dried fruit Go easy on fruit juice |
Go low-fat or fat-free when you choose mild, yogurt and other milk products.
If you don’t or can’t consume milk, choose lactose-free products or other calcium sources such as fortified foods and beverages. |
Choose low-fat or lean meats and poultry
Bake it, broil it, or grill it Vary your protein routine- choose more fish, beans, peas, nuts and seeds |
| 6 oz. per day | 2 1/2 cups per day | 2 cups per day | 3 cups per day. For kids ages 2-8, its 2 cups per day | 5 1/2 oz. per day |
Find a balance between food and physical activity:
- Be sure to stay within your daily caloric needs.
- Be physically active for at least 30 minutes most days of the week.
- About 60 minutes a day of physical activity may be needed to prevent weight gain.
- For sustaining weight loss, at least 60 to 90 minutes a day of physical activity may be required.
- Children and teenagers should be physically active for 60 minutes a day.
Know the limits on fats, sugars, and salt (sodium):
- Make most of your fat sources from fish, nuts, and vegetable oils.
- Limits solid fats like butter, stick margarine, shortening, and lard, as well as foods that contain these.
- Check the Nutrition Facts label to keep saturated fats, trans fats, and sodium low.
- Choose food and beverages low in added sugars. Added sugars contribute calories with few, if any, added nutrients.
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