Balanced Eating Daily Checklist

I know this is very simplified. A lot of foods cross over into 2 food groups (like beans are carbs and proteins, like sweetened yogurt is a milk and carb). But lets try to keep this as simple as possible…

ALSO, this is NOT a diet. This is how you should eat every day. When your cholesterol/blood pressure go down, you should CONTINUE to eat in this manner.

Love you!

	Carbohydrates
	Protein
	Milk
	Vegetables (3 to 5)
	Fruit (2 to 4)
	Fats
	Water (6 to 8)

......Print Weekly Checklist.....

Details for each group…

Carbohydrates
Try to make as many of your servings COMPLEX carbs as you can. This means they are the least refined (beans, brown rice, whole wheat bread, oatmeal, whole wheat pasta, potatoes - sweet are higher in fiber than white, high fiber cereal) as opposed to SIMPLE carbs, which are not as good for you (white bread, sugary stuff, white rice, pasta… processed foods).

General guideline for fiber… this goes for most foods. If it has more color, it's probably higher in fiber. Whole wheat vs. white bread, romaine lettuce vs. iceberg, sweet potatoes vs. regular, purple grapes vs. green.

Try to limit your sugar intake, as well. A serving of sugar is a serving of carbs, and you will be more full and satisfied if you are eating high fiber foods instead.

Serving size… a slice of bread, ½ cup of pasta, ½ a cup of rice, a tablespoon of sugar, 1 cup of cheerios, a packet of oatmeal, a smallish potato… That's a serving. Count each one and check them off above. USE MEASURING CUPS if necessary.

Protein
Try to eat less fatty proteins. One egg is the same as three egg whites, both count as one protein. Wouldn't you rather get more bang for your buck with the 3 egg whites?!?

Good for you protein… Turkey, chicken, egg whites, egg beaters, lean pork, shellfish, other fish

Fatty but still good for you protein… Salmon, tuna, herring, mackerel (these are high in Omega-3 fats, which are VERY good for you. I read that one serving of this a week can cut your risk of heart attack.) Nuts aren't bad, but eat them sparingly. And don't get roasted, get raw. Roasted = bad.

Bad protein… Cheese, beef, egg yellows (these have bad fat that clogs arteries).

Serving size… One egg, 3 egg whites, one ounce of cheese (mommy has a little scale), one ounce of nuts, 2 ounces of poultry, 3 ounces of low fat fish/shellfish, one lowfat polly-o string cheese (I have one every day. yum!)

Milk
Pretty self explanatory. A cup of SKIM milk, a container of lowfat yogurt. Cheese is weird, so we'll leave it in the protein place. I'll even say 1 skinny cow ice cream sandwich counts as a milk. Or ½ cup of lowfat ice cream/yogurt.

Don't eat whole fat ice cream. It's super duper bad for you.

Vegetables
Anything that is a vegetable (except potatoes), count EACH CUP as a serving. That's AT LEAST THREE CUPS A DAY. MINIMUM.

V8 juice - a cup - is a serving of veggies.
Salsa - a cup - is a serving of veggies.

Fruits
Most fruit 1 serving. An apple, a pear, a regular orange = one serving. have 2 smallish fruits to equal a serving (like your tangerines). Have half a banana. Have a CUP of berries or grapes (purple has more fiber than green). Have half a pomegranate.

A HALF a cup of (whole) fruit juice counts as a fruit. Try to limit your daily intake of this, as it's better to fill up on food and drink water.

Fats
A TABLESPOON of oil is a serving. Use Pam and skip your serving of oil on whatever you're cooking (egg whites!). 6 small olives, 3 large ones = 1 serving. If you're going to eat peanut butter, eat the natural kind the sugary kind = bad news. 1 tablespoon is a serving. Don't use butter or margarine. They are bad. If you are baking your zucchini bread, substitute apple sauce for the oil/butter. Yum.

Water/Beverages
Drink at least 6 cups (8 oz.) of water a day. For every caffeinated beverage you drink (sugar free iced tea, coffee), drink an extra cup of water. (Caffeine is a diuretic and makes you hold in the water, so you need to flush it out). You can substitute up to half of your waters for sugar-free, caffeine free drinks, like crystal light.

Miscellaneous
Like I said in the beginning, this is COMPLETELY simplified. If you have cake, just have a small slice and count it as a carb and a fat. If you have a cookie (I know you have a whole tin of homemade ones), have one or two and count it as a carb and a fat. If you are going to have chocolate, have a small piece (equal to one Hershey's miniature or 2 kisses) and count it as a fat. Just be wary of that stuff and don't do it more than once a day. It will make those foods even more special and yummy.

A decent lunch that will cover veggies and protein would be a big salad with grilled chicken and balsamic vinegar. This way you would be able to save your carbs for other meals, like extra cereal in the morning.

Created on ... January 08, 2004