Allaine Mark

The Eating Answer Allaine Mark

A balanced diet includes foods from five groups and fulfills all of a person's nutritional needs. Eating a balanced diet helps people maintain good health and reduce their risk of disease. Dietary guidelines evolve with scientific advances, so it can be challenging to stay on top of current recommendations and know what to eat. By eating a balanced diet, people can get the nutrients and calories they need and avoid eating junk food, or food without nutritional value. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) used to recommend following a food pyramid. However, as nutritional science has changed, they now recommend eating foods from the five groups and building a balanced plate. According to the USDA's recommendations, half of a person's plate should consist of fruits and vegetables. The other half should be made up of grains and protein. They recommend accompanying each meal with a serving of low-fat dairy or another source of the nutrients found in dairy.