Often, we hear the term "balanced diet.” Although we know that a balanced diet plays a key role in health and wellness, many of us aren’t completely sure what it really entails. Fruits, grains, protein, veggies and dairy are the 5 basic food groups of which most of us are aware. Completely eliminating any one group from your diet isn’t conducive to good health.

We’ve all seen the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Pyramid which debuted in the early 1990s. The pyramid was made of horizontal sections for each food group. Grains, the largest food group, made up the bottom of the pyramid while Fats, Oils, and Sweets made up the top, much smaller section. In the mid-2000s, the pyramid was revamped and then again in 2011. The USDA’s most recent depiction of a balanced meal was brought to us through the MyPlate program. Let’s look at some examples for each group:

Vegetables – Starchy and Leafy Greens

• Spinach
• Kale
• Collard Greens
• Bok Choy
• Broccoli
• Cassava
• Green Bananas
• Plantain
• Potatoes
• Pumpkin
• Okra
• Avocado (Pear)
• Bell Peppers

Grains

• Whole Grains
• Brown rice
• Bulgar
• Whole wheat flour

• Refined Grains
• White flour
• White bread

Dairy

• Milk (including soy milk)
• Cheese
• Yogurt
• Pudding
• Ice cream

Fruits

• Mangoes
• Oranges
• Bananas
• Guava
• Nectarines
• Tangerines
• Berries (strawberries, blueberries, etc)
• Melons (watermelon, cantaloupe, etc)
• Papaya
• Grapefruit

Proteins (includes Beans & Peas)

• Chicken
• Turkey
• Lamb
• Pork
• Fish
• Nuts and Seeds (sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, pistachios, almonds, etc)
• Shellfish
• Soy Products

• Tofu
• Texturized Vegetable Protein (i.e. veggie "chunks”)

Consuming a balanced, healthy diet reduces risk of chronic diseases, which are on the rise for Americans; these include heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, Type 2 Diabetes, anemia, etc. There is also, of course, a strong connection to a healthy diet and healthy body weight.

The idea of including so many different kinds of foods into one’s regular diet can be a little intimidating at first glance. But, only at first. J In the next "Body+Soul” we will break down each food group and go beyond just mere examples. We’ll dive into tips and benefits to including each group in your regular diet.

Shari Grant is a Registered Nurse in South Florida, where she was raised in a (very!) Jamaican home. Some of the loves of her life are words (both reading and writing them) and missions work. She enjoys spending time with friends and family while living for a good laugh - one that makes her belly ache and her eyes water. Her bottom line goal in life is to make the Lord smile and maybe even serve Him up a chuckle from time to time, too.