The older you get, the more you realize that the meals you had growing up were maybe not so bad after all.
While Mom may not have had the resources about nutrition that are available to you today, especially via the internet, she really did know her stuff when you think about it. So, where did Mom learn about the types of foods that make up the food pyramid – perhaps in her home economics class? If you look back on meals when you were a youngster versus the suggested food groups to include in your daily diet, you might just concede that Mom was a smarter cookie than you ever gave her credit for.
For example, she filled your tummy with nutritious food, based on the five recommended food groups, a chart which really has not varied much through the years, and which guidelines are currently found at www.choosemyplate.gov and are listed below:
- Vegetables (including legumes/beans);
- Fruits (all fruits and juices);
- Grains (mostly wholegrain and/or high-fiber cereal and bread);
- Protein (lean meats and poultry, fish, eggs, tofu, nuts/seeds and legumes/beans); and
- Dairy (milk, yogurt, cheese and/or alternatives, mostly reduced fat).
Indeed you are what you eat, and a diet consisting of these foods will give you the nutrition needed to stay healthy from youth to old age.