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Don't forget to include enough water in your diet. All the cell and organ functions depend on water for functioning. It regulates body temperature and helps to alleviate constipation.

Water is obtained from some of the foods we eat. These are foods that are 85 to 95% water. Some water is obtained from the by-products of metabolism. But our main source of water is our drinking water, which is the best source. Water is also obtained from soup, milk, and juices. Alcoholic beverages and beverages with caffeine (such as coffee, tea, and colas) are not the best choices because they have a diuretic (water-excreting) effect.

If adequate water is not consumed on a daily basis the body fluids will be out of balance, causing life-threatening dehydration.

Six to eight 8-ounce glasses of water, or half of the body weight in ounces, are recommended on a daily basis. For example, if you weigh 140 lbs, you will need 70 ounces of water. You can visit a hydration calculator that will determine how much water you need. Milk, juice, and soup can not be substituted for the entire water requirement. Caffeinated and alcoholic beverages (due to their diuretic effect) would not be appropriate substitutes at all.

Carrying a water bottle and drinking at regular intervals will help you to obtain the required amount of water your body needs.

For more information about water in the human diet, visit http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002471.htm.

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Why are breads, cereals, rice, and pasta important?

These foods provide complex carbohydrates (starches), which are an important source of energy, especially in low fat diets.

They also provide vitamins, minerals, and fiber. The Food Guide Pyramid suggests 6 to 11 servings of these foods a day.

What counts as a serving?

Aren't starchy foods fattening?

No. It's what you add to these foods or cook with them that adds most of the calories. For example: margarine or butter on bread, cream or cheese sauces on pasta, and the sugar and fat used with the flour in making cookies.

Selection tips

• To get the fiber you need, choose several servings a day of foods made from whole grains, such as whole-wheat bread and whole-grain cereals.
• Choose foods that are made with little fat or sugars. These include bread, english muffins, rice, and pasta.
• Baked goods made from flour, such as cakes, cookies, croissants, and pastries, count as part of this food group, but they are high in fat and sugars.
• Go easy on the fat and sugars you add as spreads, seasonings, or toppings.
• When preparing pasta, stuffing, and sauce from packaged mixes, use only half the butter or margarine suggested; if milk or cream is called for, use lowfat milk.

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Why are vegetables important?

Vegetables provide vitamins, such as vitamins A and C, folate, and minerals, such as iron and magnesium. They are naturally low in fat and also provide fiber. The Food Guide Pyramid suggests 3 to 5 servings of these foods a day.

What counts as a serving?

Selection tips

• Include dark-green leafy vegetables and legumes several times a week - they are especially good sources of vitamins and minerals. Legumes also provide protein and can be used in place of meat.
• Go easy on the fat you add to vegetables at the table or during cooking. Added spreads or toppings, such as butter, mayonnaise, and salad dressing, count as fat.
• Use lowfat salad dressing.

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Why are fruits important?

Fruit and fruit juices provide important amounts of vitamins A and C and potassium. They are low in fat and sodium. The Food Guide Pyramid suggests 2 to 4 servings of fruits a day.

What counts as a serving?

Selection tips

• Choose fresh fruits, fruit juices, and frozen, canned, or dried fruit. Pass up fruit canned or frozen in heavy syrups and sweetened fruit juices unless you have calories to spare.
• Eat whole fruits often - they are higher in fiber than fruit juices.
• Have citrus fruits, melon, and berries regularly. They are rich in vitamin C.
• Count only 100 percent fruit juice as fruit. Punches, ades, and most fruit "drinks" contain only a little juice and lots of added sugars. Grape and orange sodas don't count as fruit juice.

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Why are milk products important?

Milk products provide protein, vitamins, and minerals. Milk, yogurt, and cheese are the best source of calcium. The Food Guide Pyramid suggests 2 to 3 servings of milk, yogurt, and cheese a day -- 2 if you are 18 or under, 3 if you are 19-50.

What counts as a serving?

How much is a gram of fat?

To help you visualize how much fat is in these foods, keep in mind that 1 teaspoon (1 pat) of butter has 4 grams of fat.

Selection tips

• Choose skim milk and nonfat yogurt often. They are lowest in fat.  »1-1/2 to 2 ounces of cheese and 8 ounces of yogurt count as a serving from this group because they supply the same amount of calcium as 1 cup of milk.
• Cottage cheese is lower in calcium than most cheeses. One cup of cottage cheese counts as only 1/2 serving of milk.
• Go easy on high fat cheese and ice cream. They can add a lot of fat (especially saturated fat) to your diet.
• Choose "part skim" or lowfat cheeses when available and lower fat milk desserts, like ice milk or frozen yogurt.

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Why are meat, poultry, fish, and other foods in this group important?

Meat, poultry, and fish supply protein, B vitamins, iron, and zinc. The other foods in this group - dry beans, eggs, and nuts - are similar to meats in providing protein and most vitamins and minerals. The Food Guide Pyramid suggests 2 to 3 servings each day of foods from this group. The total amount of these servings should be the equivalent of 5 to 6 ounces of cooked lean meat, poultry, or fish per day.

What counts as a serving?

Lean Choices

• BEEF: Roasts/Steaks (Round, Loin, Sirloin, Chuck Arm)
• PORK: Roasts/Chops (Tenderloin, Center, Loin, Ham)
• VEAL: All cuts except ground
• LAMB: Roasts/Chops (Leg, Loin, Fore Shanks)
• CHICKEN & TURKEY: Light & dark meat, without the skin
• FISH & SHELLFISH: Most are low in fat; those marinated or canned in oil are higher

Selection tips

• Choose lean meat, poultry without skin, fish, and dry beans and peas often. They are the choices lowest in fat.
• Prepare meats in lowfat ways:
  • Trim away all the fat you can see.
  • Broil, roast, or boil these foods, instead of frying them.
• Go easy on egg yolks; they are high in cholesterol. Use only one yolk per person in egg dishes. Make larger portions by adding extra egg whites.
• Nuts and seeds are high in fat, so eat them in moderation.

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How much fat can I have?

It depends on your calorie needs. The Dietary Guidelines recommend that Americans limit fat in their diets to 30 percent of calories. This amounts to 53 grams of fat in a 1,600-calorie diet and 73 grams of fat in a 2,200-calorie diet.

You will get up to half this fat even if you pick the lowest fat choice from each good group and add no fat to your foods in preparation or at the table.

You decide how to use the additional fat in your daily diet. You may want to have foods from the five major food groups that are higher in fat--such as whole milk instead of skim milk. Or you may want to use it in cooking or at the table in the form of spreads, dressings, or toppings.

How to check your diet for fat

If you want to be sure you have a lowfat diet, you can count the grams of fat in your day's food choices using the chart below, and compare them to the number of grams of fat suggested for your calorie level. You don't need to count fat grams every day, but doing a fat checkup once in awhile will help keep you on the right track. If you find you are eating too much fat, choose lower fat foods more often.

You can figure the number of grams of fat that provide 30% of calories in your daily diet as follows:

Multiply your total day's calories by 0.30 to get your calories from fat per day. Example: 2,200 calories x 0.30 = 660 calories from fat.

Divide calories from fat per day by 9 (each gram of fat has 9 calories) to get grams of fat per day. Example: 660 calories from fat ÷ 9 = 73 grams of fat.

Are some types of fat worse than others?

Yes. Eating too much saturated fat raises blood cholesterol levels in many people, increasing their risk for heart disease. The Dietary Guidelines recommend limiting saturated fat to less than 10 percent of calories, or about one-third of total fat intake.

All fats in foods are mixtures of three types of fatty acids - saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated.

• Saturated fats are found in largest amounts in fats from meat and dairy product and in some vegetables fats such as coconut, palm, and palm kernel oils. If you are on a 1600-calorie diet, you should have 18 grams or less of saturated fat per day; for a 2200-calorie diet, 24 grams or less of saturated fat per day.
• Monounsaturated fats are found mainly in olive, peanut, and canola oils.
• Polyunsaturated fats are found mainly in safflower, sunflower, corn, soybean, and cottonseed oils and some fish.

If you are at a healthy weight and you eat little saturated fat, you'll have leeway to eat some plant foods that are high in unsaturated fats.

How do I avoid too much saturated fat?

Follow the Food Guide Pyramid, keeping your total fat within recommended amounts. Choose fat from a variety of food sources, but mostly from those foods that are higher in polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fat.

Selection tips

• Get most of your calories from plant foods (grains, fruits, vegetables). If you eat foods high in saturated fat for a special occasion, return to foods that are low in saturated fat the next day.
• Use lean meats and skim or lowfat dairy products.
• Use unsaturated vegetable oils and margarines that list a liquid vegetable oil as first ingredient on the label. Cut back on solid fats, such as butter, hard margarines, lard, and partially hydrogenated shortenings.
• Read nutrition and ingredient labels on food packages to check the kinds and amounts of fat they contain. Choose foods lower in saturated fat and cholesterol -- low-fat, non-fat, or lean foods.
• Limit use of products that contain a large amount of saturated fats. Examples are nondairy creamers, creamy sauces, fast food, and rich baked products such as pie crusts and other pastries, cakes, and cookies.
• Trim fat from meats and remove skin from poultry.
• Use less fat when cooking.
• For more tips to reduce fat intake, click here.

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Cholesterol and fat are not the same thing.

Cholesterol is a fat-like substance present in all animal foods - meat, poultry, fish, milk and milk products, and egg yolks. Both the lean and fat of meat and the meat and skin of poultry contain cholesterol. In milk products, cholesterol is mostly in the fat -- lower fat products contain less cholesterol. Egg yolks and organ meats, like liver, are high in cholesterol. Plant foods do not contain cholesterol.

Dietary cholesterol, as well as saturated fat, raises blood cholesterol levels in many people, increasing their risk for heart disease. Some health authorities recommend that dietary cholesterol be limited to an average of 300 milligrams or less per day. To keep dietary cholesterol to this level, follow the Food Guide Pyramid, keeping your total fat to the amount that's right for you.

It's not necessary to eliminate all foods that are high in cholesterol. You can have three to four egg yolks a week, counting those used as ingredients in custards and baked products. Use lower fat dairy products often and occasionally include dry beans and peas in place of meat.

For more tips to reduce cholesterol intake, click here. You can also take some cholesterol quizzes and self-evaluations here, here, and here.

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What about sugars?

Choosing a diet low in fat is a concern for everyone; choosing one low in sugars is also important for people who have low calorie needs. Naturally occuring sugars are found in foods such as milk or fruits that also supply many other nutrients. Added sugars include white sugar, brown sugar, raw sugar, corn syrup, honey, molasses, and many others; these supply calories and little else nutritionally. Too much sugar can contribute to weight gain and tooth decay, and can decrease the amount of nutritious food you eat overall.

To avoid getting too many calories from sugars, try to limit your added sugars to 6 teaspoons a day if you eat about 1,600 calories; or 12 teaspoons at 2,200 calories. These amounts are intended to be averages over time. The patterns are illustrations of healthful proportions in the diet, not rigid prescriptions.

Added sugars are in foods like candy, soft drinks, baked goods, sweetened drinks, and dairy desserts like ice cream, as well as jams, jellies, and sugars you add at the table. Some added sugars are also in foods from the food groups, such as fruit canned in heavy syrup and chocolate milk.

Drinking eight glasses of water a day can reduce your craving for snacks high in sugar.

Sugar substitutes such as saccharin, aspartame, acesulfame potassium, and sucralose are extremely low in calories. Some people find them useful if they want a sweet taste without the calories. Some foods that contain sugar substitutes, however, still have calories. Unless you reduce the total calories you eat or increase your physical activity, using sugar substitutes will not cause you to lose weight.

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Do I have to give up salt?

No. But most Americans eat more than they need. Some health authorities say that sodium intake should not be more than 2,400 milligrams per day -- about one teaspoon of salt. Nutrition labels also list a Daily Value (upper limit) of 2,400 milligrams per day of sodium.

Much of the sodium in people's diets comes from salt added to foods they buy, or from salt they add while cooking and at the table.

Selection tips

• Go easy on salt and foods that are high in sodium, including cured meats, luncheon meats, many cheeses, most canned soups and vegetables, and soy sauce. Look for lower salt and no-salt-added versions of these products at your supermarket.
• Lower blood pressure by increasing physical activity.
• Eat low-sodium foods such as fruit.
• Season food with herbs, spices and fruits, to reduce added salt.
• Information on food labels can help you make food choices to keep sodium moderate.
• For more suggestions on reducing sodium intake, click here.

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Alcoholic beverages supply calories but few nutrients. Alcoholic beverages are harmful when consumed in excess, and some people should not drink at all:

• Children and adolescents
• Individuals of any age who cannot restrict their drinking to moderate levels
• Women who may become pregnant or who are pregnant
• Individuals who plan to drive, operate machinery, or take part in other activities that require attention, skill, or coordination
• Individuals taking prescription or over-the-counter medications that can interact with alcohol

Excess alcohol alters judgment and can lead to dependency and a great many other serious health problems. Taking more than one drink per day for women or two drinks per day for men can raise the risk for motor vehicle crashes, other injuries, high blood pressure, stroke, violence, suicide, and certain types of cancer. Even one drink per day can slightly raise the risk of breast cancer. Alcohol consumption during pregnancy increases risk of birth defects. Too much alcohol may cause social and psychological problems, cirrhosis of the liver, inflammation of the pancreas, and damage to the brain and heart. Heavy drinkers also are at risk of malnutrition because alcohol contains calories that may substitute for those in nutritious foods.

If adults choose to drink alcoholic beverages, they should consume them only in moderation - and with meals to slow alcohol absorption. Moderation is defined as no more than one drink per day for women and no more than two drinks per day for men. This limit is based on differences between the sexes in both weight and metabolism.

Each of the following counts as one drink:

• 12 ounces of regular beer (150 calories);
• 5 ounces of wine (100 calories);
• 1.5 ounces of 80-proof distilled spirits (100 calories).

Drinking in moderation may lower risk for coronary heart disease, mainly among men over age 45 and women over age 55. However, there are other factors that reduce the risk of heart disease, including a healthy diet, physical activity, avoidance of smoking, and maintenance of a healthy weight.

Moderate consumption provides little, if any, health benefit for younger people. Risk of alcohol abuse increases when drinking starts at an early age.

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Cultural:

Asian Diet Food Pyramid - http://www.oldwayspt.org/pyramids/asian/p_asian.html

Latin American Food Pyramid - http://www.oldwayspt.org/pyramids/latin/p_latin.html

Mediterranean Food Pyramid - http://www.oldwayspt.org/pyramids/med/p_med.html

Vegetarian Food Pyramid - http://www.oldwayspt.org/pyramids/veg/p_veg.html

Native American Food Pyramid - http://www.aaip.com/tradmed/tradmedfoodguide.html

Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid - http://www.mayo.edu/news/pyramid.jpg

Child Food Pyramid - http://www.kidshealth.org/kid/stay_healthy/food/pyramid.html

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http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cic_text/food/dietguide2000/toc.htm, http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cic_text/food/food-pyramid/main.htm

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• Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, USDA
  1120 20th Street, NW, Suite 200, North Lobby
  Washington, DC 20036
  Internet: www.usda.gov/cnpp

• Food and Nutrition Information Center
  National Agricultural Library, USDA
  10301 Baltimore Boulevard, Room 304
  Beltsville, MD 20705-2351
  Internet: www.fns.usda.gov/fns

• healthfinder® - Gateway to Reliable Consumer Health Information
  National Health Information Center
  U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
  P.O. Box 1133
  Washington, DC 20013- 1133
  Internet: www.healthfinder.gov
  

• Cancer Information Service
  Office of Cancer Communications
  National Cancer Institute
  Building 31, Room 10A16
  9000 Rockville Pike
  Bethesda, MD 20892
  Internet: cis.nci.nih.gov
  

• National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Information Center
  P.O. Box 30105
  Bethesda, MD 20824-0105
  Internet: www.nhlbi.nih.gov

• National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
  Office of Communications and Public Liaison
  31 Center Drive, MSC 2560
  Bethesda, MD 20892-2560
  Internet: www.niddk.nih.gov
  

• National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
  600 Executive Boulevard, Suite 409
  Bethesda, MD 20892-7003
  Internet: www.niaaa.nih.gov
  

• National Institute on Aging Information Center
  Building 31, Room 5C27
  Bethesda, MD 20892
  Internet: www.aoa.gov/elderpage.html#ap

• Food and Drug Administration
  200 C Street, SW
  Washington, DC 20204
  Internet: www.fda.gov
  

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  1600 Clifton Road
  Atlanta, GA 30333
  Internet: www.cdc.gov
  

• You can also contact
  • your campus dietitian or nutritionist
  • your campus health clinic
  • your county extension home economist (cooperative extension system)
  • a nutrition professional in your local
    • public health department
    • hospital
    • American Red Cross
    • dietetic association
    • diabetes association
    • heart association
    • cancer society
  • a dietitian near you