Which Food Groups Are Most Important For Dieters?

With many new diet plans and the trend toward abolishing carbs or entire food groups, what are dieters to do? This is an area of much controversy, further complicated by age, health status, etc. But, some very basic guidelines have been established that define a healthy eating plan (please consult your physician or dietitian before changing your diet):.

The Healthy Eating Plate model, created by nutrition experts at Harvard School of Public Health and editors at Harvard Health Publications, was designed to to help people make the best eating choices and to address deficiencies of the My Plate model designed by the USDA.

 Designed to make healthy eating simpler and more intuitive, it is now preferred by registered dietitians and many medical professionals.  Its prescription involves:

• • vegetables and fruits – ½ of your plate:

  Go for color and variety, and  potatoes don’t count as vegetables on the Healthy Eating Plate because of their negative impact on blood sugar.

  • Whole grains – ¼ of your plate:

  Try to stay with whole and intact grains—whole wheat, barley, wheat berries, quinoa, oats, brown rice, etc,  while avoiding white bread, white rice, and other highly processed and refined grains.

  • Proteins– ¼ of your plate:

  Good choices are beans, chicken, fish, , and nuts are all healthy, versatile protein sources—they can be mixed into salads, and pair well with vegetables on a plate. Limit red meat, and avoid processed meats such as bacon and sausage.

  • Healthy plant oils – in moderation:

  At the grocery store, select healthy vegetable oils like canola, corn, olive, peanut, sunflower, etc.  Avoid the partially hydrogenated with trans fatty acids.   

  • Drink water, coffee, or tea:

  Limit milk and dairy to one or two servings a day, limit sugar.  

  • Stay active:

  Staying active is an important ingredient in weight control.  

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• Photo Credit: Amanda Mills 

Mindful eating is an excellent way to follow these guidelines and have weight loss success.  Defined by The Center for Mindful Eating as:

"Mindfulness is the capacity to bring full attention and awareness to one’s experience, in the moment, without judgment. Mindful Eating brings mindfulness to food choice and the experience of eating."

So, which food groups are most important to dieters?…to be healthy, one must eat from all of them.  But, what about the question of these special diets where you are perhaps doing a plant-based or gluten-free or low-carb or ketogeic diet?  It may be possible to make adequate substitutions while  taking any required supplements.  However, it is the recommended to consult your physician or a registered dietitian.