Using the
Food Groups
It is important to focus on food groups as a whole to ensure proper nutrient intake. This will be much easier than trying to focus on all of the vitamins and minerals individually. If adequate amounts of each food group are consumed, it should be possible to meet the recommendations for all nutrients without supplementation in most cases.
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Fruits, vegetables, and dairy are measured in cup-equivalents (c-eq). Examples of one cup equivalent would be 1 cup cooked or raw fruit/vegetable, ½ cup dried fruit/vegetables, 1 cup of pure juice, 2 cups of leafy greens, 1 cup milk or yogurt, 1.5 ounces of natural cheese, or 2 ounces of processed cheese. Fruit and veggie choices should be varied to ensure a proper intake of nutrients. Vegetables specifically should include dark green, red, and orange vegetables, starchy vegetables, and legumes along with others. Fruits and vegetables can be fresh or frozen. Dairy products can include lactose-free/reduced-lactose products, as well as fortified soy products.
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Grains and protein foods are measured in ounce-equivalents (oz-eq). One ounce equivalent would amount to ½ cup cooked grains, 1 ounce dry grains, 1 ounce slice of bread, or 1 ounce of breakfast cereal. Half of all consumed grains should be whole (whole wheat bread, brown rice, oatmeal, whole-grain cereal, etc.) as opposed to refined grains (white); however, refined grains should be enriched, meaning the nutrients that are lost during processing are replaced in the final product.
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Oils are measured in grams (g).
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The “Other” category is designated for the remaining calories that are necessary to meet the daily calorie requirement so long as all other foods are nutrient dense and are not cooked with added ingredients, such as sugar, fat, salt, or refined starches.
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USDA & HHS. (2015) Dietary guidelines for Americans 2015-2020. Retrieved from https://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/guidelines/