Fruits & Vegetables: Half of Your Plate Should be Fruits & Veggies
Fruits and vegetables are great sources of vitamins, minerals, and fiber. These food groups are helpful in boosting our immune system as these foods contain immune-boosting vitamins like vitamin C and other antioxidants. Fruits and veggies are low in calories and are full of fiber which help to keep us full. Men should consume 38 grams of fiber per day while women need 25 grams so filling up on those fruits and veggies is important.
Try to choose a variety of vegetables. You can try dark green vegetables like broccoli, spinach or kale or orange and red vegetables like squash, carrots, or sweet potatoes. When choosing fruits, it’s a good idea to mix up your fruit choices. You can eat pineapple, apples, mangoes, peaches, berries, any kind of fruit. It’s best to consume fruits in their whole form rather than things like fruit juice as they contain more sugar and calories per serving and less fiber than whole fruit.
Half of your plate should consist of fruits and veggies
Fruits and vegetables are great sources of vitamins, minerals, and fiber. These food groups are helpful in boosting our immune system as these foods contain immune-boosting vitamins like vitamin C and other antioxidants. Fruits and veggies are low in calories and are full of fiber which help to keep us full. Men are required to consume 38 grams of fiber per day while women need 25 grams so filling up on those fruits and veggies is important.
Try to choose a variety of vegetables. You can try dark green vegetables like broccoli, spinach or kale or orange and red vegetables like squash, carrots, or sweet potatoes. When choosing fruits, it’s a good idea to mix up your fruit choices. You can eat pineapple, apples, mangoes, peaches, berries, any kind of fruit. It’s best to consume fruits in their whole form rather than things like fruit juice as they contain more sugar and calories per serving and less fiber than whole fruit.
Grains: A Quarter of Your Plate Should be Whole Grains:
Emphasize foods like whole wheat pasta, brown rice, oatmeal, etc. Limit your intake of refined grains (these are things that are processed like white bread, white rice, and white bagels).
Protein Helps our Bodies Build & Maintain Lean Tissue:
Consuming foods like beef, tofu, grilled chicken, fish, beans, eggs, nuts, and seeds can help us build and repair those tissues while giving us important minerals like iron. When you choose sources of protein, it’s important to consume lean proteins that are lower in fat. A normal person should consume 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight but for athletes. Depending on your training regimen right now, normally 1.2 – 2.0 grams per kilogram of body weight is recommended for athletes.
Athlete Protein Requirements Based on Weight
– 150 lb athlete: 82 – 136 grams of protein
– 200 lb athlete: 109 – 182 grams of protein
– 250 lb athlete: 136 – 227 grams of protein
MyPlate is a GUIDELINE
Every meal won’t be perfect, so try to get at least three of your food groups at each meal.
